Reaper's Blood: Final Mix
by RainthelingeringSentiment
Summary: During the infamous forbidden scroll theft, A precious person of Naruto dies saving his life and in turn changes Naruto's world in the way none will see coming. AU. Bloodline!Naruto, Semi-Dark!Hinata, Determinator!Naruto, Fem!Kyuubi. Pairings. Naruto/Hinata/Ino and many more! Rewrite of Reaper's Blood: Reincarnation
1. Chapter 1

Rain: It's time once again...I love this Fic, don't get me wrong but I just want it to be more coherent. Some things will remain the same, many things will be different. Most of all, I just hope you guys enjoy my final edit of this fanfic known as... ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

Mario: Here we go!

Title: **_Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_  
** Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto

Pairings: Naruto/Hinata/Ino/Anko  
Author: RainthelingeringSentiment  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M  
Genre: Romance/Adventure

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto at all. We've been through this a few times already!

* * *

*Legend*

"Talking"

 _'Thinking'_

 **"Kyuubi talking"**

 ** _'Kyuubi thinking'_**

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

 ** _Chapter One_**

"I, Uzumaki Naruto have done something that no one else could ever accomplished! I can't believe it!" Naruto exclaimed as he bounced from tree branch to tree branch with an excited look in his eyes

Naruto had done the impossible. He had stolen the forbidden scroll by knocking out the Hokage by using his Oiroke no Jutsu.

And here he thought it would be a challenge to steal the damn thing.

With his grin growing with each second that passed, Naruto continued his way deeper into the forest until he finally came across the old shed Mizuki had told him to meet him.

Naruto tried to slide to a halt but he managed to trip on a small pebble and with a yell, he crashed face first onto the ground.

He stayed on the ground for two whole minutes before his embarrassment subsided before getting up onto his feet, walking over to the scroll and sitting himself down on the ground in front of it.

"Operation: Scroll grab has been complete success! I can't believe that the silver haired teme himself would offer this chance to me! I guess he saw that me becoming the Hokage could truly happen," Naruto said aloud to himself as he sat the rather heavy scroll on the ground before him before he sat down in front of it.

If Naruto could be honest with himself, he didn't know how he felt about doing this. He wanted to become the Hokage and everyone and their ancestors knew this about him but was he going about this the right way?

Every Hokage in existence went through the academy and passed it successfully and yet he was here cheating his way to the top by taking the scroll to Mizuki to pass in a rather sleazy way, at least to his mind.

"Then again…Mizuki-sensei did say that this was an alternate test to test my skills as an shinobi…And even if he was a total jackass by picking on me the entire time, he at least saw something in me to give me this test…More than Iruka-sensei…" Naruto said, trying to quell his inner guilt over doing the test differently.

And saying Iruka's name made Naruto's somewhat good mood completely change into a somber one.

Naruto didn't hide it to anyone who cared that Umino Iruka, his chūnin sensei at the academy was something akin to an older brother to Naruto.

When they met, Iruka looked at him the same way everyone had…Like he was a menace to Konoha and he often picked at Naruto and tried to stop Naruto's pranks but despite this, Naruto didn't give up.

He continued to be the prankster that he wanted to be and Iruka would always chase after him and make him clean the aftermaths of the pranks and for a while, they built up some sort of relationship, even though it was a negative one.

But after one particularly bad prank, Iruka told the amused class something that said the words that turned Naruto's slight dislike of the chūnin into absolute loathing.

* * *

 ** _Flashback – Five Years Ago_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _The five year old Uzumaki Naruto felt victorious._

 _He had just done the impossible._

 _He had finally broken the calm veneer that his prideful sensei had worn from the moment they had met._

 _The plan was very simple._

 _All he did was follow Iruka to his home after school let out and placed buckets of hot pink and sunflower yellow as he slept and carefully tied dental floss around the handles of the buckets around his wrists as carefully as possible._

 _So when the chūnin woke up and moved, the buckets would tip over and splash all over him and from the sparse amount of pink and yellow in Iruka's hair and from the fact he was thirty minutes late to class, Naruto could claim that this prank was a smashing success!_

 _But that was only Part "A" of the plan._

 _Part "B" was going to happen the moment Iruka sat down on his chair...And that moment quickly came when Iruka sat down on his chair and the moment he did, the chair's legs snapped off, sending Iruka slamming to the ground where seconds later, hot pink and orange paint fell from the open ceiling tile down onto Iruka's head, painting his head in pink and orange._

 _The class seemed to love it as well because everyone was in hysterics while Naruto rose up and took three bows while the class congratulated him for his success but then the sound of something heavy slammed onto the desk, causing Naruto, along with everyone else, to look at the direction it came from._

 _Naruto watched as a stoned faced Iruka stood up from his down position and slowly, the chūnin let out a small chuckle, which stunned Naruto._

 _"_ _Class…Do you think this is amusing?" Iruka asked, which caused everyone to stare at the scarred man in confusion but Naruto laughed._

 _"_ _I thought so at least," Naruto stated as he placed his thumb against his chest with a grin before he added "Orange and pink look really good on you, Iruka-sensei."_

 _"_ _I am glad you think so Naruto because I know this little prank and the one this morning is your doing," Iruka responded, which made Naruto's grin change into a smirk._

 _"_ _Well of course, you had been begging for it for weeks. Besides, I'm the best prankster there is," Naruto boasted._

 _Naruto watched as Iruka chuckled and wiped the orange paint that was coming down his face and said "Listen class, I do know that many of you enjoy these pranks but at the end of the day, all of you are encouraging these acts of vandalism."_

 _Naruto was confused by the words Iruka was saying and was about to open his mouth to respond but Iruka continued with "The things that Uzumaki Naruto has done as of late are childish and immature and people like that are not worthy of the time or respect of us hard working citizens of Konoha deserve so when Naruto plays a prank, ignore them…Maybe then young Uzumaki will become a more of productive member of society instead of the hooligan he is now."_

* * *

 ** _End Flashback - Present Time_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

Naruto was hurt by his sensei's words.

Everyone treated his words as gospel and ignored any and all pranks Naruto had played and soon, Naruto felt even more alone than before.

Sure, no one had liked him back then but people at least responded to his pranks so to have this person tell everyone to ignore them had really cut Naruto deeply.

And because of this, Naruto treated Iruka with hostility that the chūnin had shown him, throwing mean prank after mean prank on the chūnin, who practiced what he preached and ignored all the pranks he had thrown at him.

At the peak of their "war", Iruka decided that he was not allowed to attend the "Test of Courage" which was a ton of exercises done throughout the village.

And Naruto felt that it wasn't fair so that forced him to prank the entire group before announcing that he would no longer go to the academy.

For the next week, Naruto refused to go back to the academy and he was sure everyone was happy about this until a bunch of kids that bullied him in the past told him that they felt bad by his words and would be his friends but on one condition.

The kid told him that a patrol unit had fought some enemy ninja in the back hills the day before and if he wanted to be in their group, he would have to bring back something from the battle site that were outside the village to them.

Naruto knew it was stupid but at the time, he was so desperate for someone, anyone to care for him that he did do it. He snuck out and found the dead remains and at first, Naruto found himself gagging from the smell that emitted from them but he needed friends and would do anything to gain them.

Naruto was not proud of rummaging through the bodies of the dead but when he found a piece of paper of some scrawls that he couldn't make out but he decided to keep it but that was when Iruka came upon him.

Iruka told Naruto to return to Konoha but he refused and used his patented "Oiroke no Jutsu" to distract Iruka long enough as he ran as fast as his little legs could take him but that led him right into the hands of Kunoichi that were from Takigakure no Sato.

Iruka wasted no time in saving Naruto's life several times during the two of them trying to get away and with the help of some masked guy Naruto later knew as Hatake Kakashi, the two finally got away.

And when the excitement died down, something happened between the two of them that changed their relationship entirely.

* * *

 ** _Flashback – Five Years ago_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _"_ _Why did you do it Naruto?"_

 _Naruto frowned at Iruka's words as the two sat by each other on a bench._

 _It had been a few hours after the two of them had gotten away from those tough kunoichi and Naruto felt annoyed that Iruka called him out here right before he was going to go to bed._

 _Iruka may have saved his life and he was grateful but that didn't change the fact that he felt hurt by all Iruka had done to him during his time at the academy. "Why did I do what?" Naruto asked with a snotty tone, his bottom lip sticking out with his arms crossed._

 _"_ _Why did you leave the village the way you did?" Iruka asked with a concerned yet angered tone in his voice. "What you did was foolish and reckless and had I not come and found you, you could have gotten hurt or even killed."_

 _Naruto could hear the anger in his voice and felt the anger growing within his veins. How dare this guy act like he cared now after all the crap and hurtful crap that was said?_

 _Iruka had no right in trying to be all worried and Naruto let him know this when he snapped with a harsh tone "Do you dare try to act like you care after all you've done!"_

 _Naruto could see that Iruka was taken aback by his outburst but Naruto didn't care. He was tired, hungry and still a bit afraid after today's events and this was only making things worse for his mood._

 _"_ _You think saving my life means you can act like you're all worried about me when you yourself said I wasn't worth the attention or respect of anyone?! Where do you get the right to act this way?!"_

 _Naruto could feel unshed tears within his eyes as he said with a wavering voice "You think you c-can just say those things and expect me to be happy that you saved my life but they won't!"_

 _Naruto could hear the faint noise of surprise from Iruka's mouth but Naruto didn't care. Years of being subjected to the worse kind of neglect was finally bubbling to the surface and Naruto could no longer hold back all that his little heart could stand._

 _"_ _Every single day…From the moment I wake up to the moment I sleep, I'm alone. No one cares about me. All they do is treat me like I'm some sort of sickness….They pretend I don't exist or when they are forced to interact with me, their voices are so cold and cruel…But do you know what the worse part of being me in this village is?"_

 _A bit of anger appeared in Naruto's voice along with a brief flicker of fire in his eyes as he answered his own question with "Being at the end of their constant glares! I don't even have to see it; I can practically feel their hate anytime I leave my damn rundown apartment. And the one place that I thought I could avoid that was at the academy…Sure I was treated somewhat badly but I never had to deal with that unwanted stare of hatred...Until you came around and suddenly, I couldn't escape that look at all."_

 _Naruto lowered his head as tears started to fall down his cheeks as he sniffled sadly and mumbled "All I wanted was friends Iruka-sensei…Someone that cares for me and wants me around, even if I'm there to be made fun of…It's better than just being ignored and hated…At least I can feel wanted, even as a punch line to a joke."_

 _"_ _K-Kami-sama above…Naruto, I-I'm so-" He heard Iruka whisper in a tone that was unfamiliar to Naruto but Naruto merely shook his head and offered a watery smile._

 _"_ _Just save it," Naruto whispered sadly. "I've gotten used to it to the fact that no one cares about me. Even I don't care about myself anymore…Maybe it would have been better for me to die…At least I would have been f-freed from this lonely he-"_

 _Without any warning, Naruto felt Iruka's arms wrap around him in a bone crushing hug, which caused Naruto to stiffen with surprise and that surprise grew when he felt a drop of something wet hit his shoulder._

 _"_ _A-All this time…All this time I thought of you as just some menace to the village…Kami, you're just a child…And I treated a child so terribly…What have I done?" Naruto heard Iruka whisper with that strange tone again as the elder male shook against him._

 _It was then Naruto realized what the strange tone was._

 _It was sadness._

 _And to shock Naruto further, the wetness that he was feeling was Iruka's tears. Iruka was crying because of him._

 _Seeing the man that had hurt him with his stares of hatred and cruel words now crying against him because of his words truly made Naruto upset. No matter how cruel Iruka was to him, Naruto hated to see people cry because of him._

 _"_ _Please don't cry…" Naruto told him with a sad frown on his face but Iruka only squeezed him tighter._

 _"_ _Kami…I'm so sorry Naruto," Naruto heard Iruka breath out remorsefully against his shoulder, which made fresh tears appear in Naruto's eyes. He wanted Iruka to stop because he himself was scared._

 _He was scared that this was all a cruel trick. No one ever cried for how they treated him before so why would his biggest detractor mourn for how he treated him?_

 _But despite this thought, Naruto couldn't stop himself from hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone was actually sorry for how they treated him and that was more than enough for him bawl against the older man's flak jacket._

* * *

 ** _End Flashback - Present Time_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

Iruka had explained after that moment that he when he was younger; he had lost his parents and in turn became lonely enough to become a delinquent like Naruto was but the Hokage himself was able to steer Iruka to the right direction with advice.

Iruka then explained that he had heard of Naruto's reputation as a severe prankster and was wary of him but Iruka then stated that instead of seeing the signs that he was lonely, Iruka admitted that he took the same approach the villagers did to him.

Iruka admitted that the moment Naruto broke down on the bench, Iruka saw the pain his words and his actions had and it made Iruka realize that Naruto needed someone by his side, like Iruka did when he was younger.

And it was after that moment Iruka swore from to Naruto that he would earn his forgiveness for his cruel words and stares.

And without a doubt, Naruto felt that Iruka made up for it a thousand times over.

Thanks to Iruka, Naruto was living in an apartment building with super nice tenants that treated him like a normal person instead of the one the Hokage had found which was more rundown and had managers that despised him.

Instead of the ratty, poor quality clothes that Naruto was forced to buy from the rude shop owners, Iruka made sure to buy nice clean clothes, even in his favorite color orange.

And instead of being sold rotten or expired food like he had before, Iruka always bought fresh food him.

Iruka even helped Naruto excel in his classes and while he wouldn't become rookie of the year, he was still doing better than he was before.

But while Iruka helped Naruto become a better person, Naruto also helped Iruka. He helped the chūnin loosen up and have more fun and take more risks and so far, Naruto's biggest success in this department was helping his sensei find a girlfriend.

* * *

 ** _Flashback – Four Years Ago_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _"_ _Naruto!"_

 _Naruto's head snapped up when he heard Iruka's bellow from the classroom before a small grin appeared on his face._

 _"_ _Uh oh, Sensei found the badgers…"Naruto stated with an amused grin on his face as he sat by himself outside the academy._

 _"_ _I better get going before he catches me," Naruto stated with a smile before he hopped down to the ground and stretched his limbs out._

 _After hearing a door being slammed open, Naruto quickly dashed down the road away from the academy until he was in the middle of town and he was making some good headway until he found himself slamming into the legs of a woman, sending him landing on his backside._

 _And a few moments later, a large amount of dango fell on his head and onto his lap. Naruto looked at the food on his lap in confusion before he heard some deep, heavy breathing coming from above him._

 _"_ _You…" A deep, feminine voice growled out after a few seconds of silence._

 _Naruto slowly looked up to see who the voice belonged to but the moment his eyes met her rather beautiful face, Naruto found himself grabbed by the shirt and thrown high into the air._

 _'_ _I didn't even see her or feel her grab me!' Naruto thought to himself as he managed to recover in the air and stumbled a bit before he heard an enraged scream coming from behind him._

 _Naruto barely saw a flash of enraged light brown pupil-less eyes before he was once again launched into the air._

 _"_ _Kami!" Naruto shouted in alarm as he tried to recover from the throw but luckily, Iruka was just turning a corner and managed to catch Naruto before the blond collided into him._

 _Naruto quickly scrambled away from Iruka's grasp and said "We need to get out of here!" Naruto could see the look of confusion on Iruka's face before the two of them heard a loud shout._

 _"_ _Get back here you orange wearing brat!"_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in horror at the sound and quickly tried to run from Iruka but he then felt the hand of the scarred man holding the collar of his shirt and said "Oh no…You aren't going anywhere."_

 _Naruto squealed in horror as the he heard the chuckle of the woman coming from a distance and the more the low, almost sadistic chuckling got closer, Naruto squirmed more but Iruka held strong until all became quiet._

 _And then…_

 _"_ _Hello Gaki…I believe you are the one that destroyed the dango I've so desperately wanted since I got back to the village twenty minutes ago."_

 _Naruto turned his head and saw the sickeningly sweet smile of a pale skinned, beautiful kunoichi with violet hair with a spiky fanned ponytail framing her face._

 _Naruto would have been blushing by her beauty had he not had been terrified beyond belief. The woman stood up and faced Iruka and said "Thanks for catching him…I greatly appreciate it. Now I can have him meet Kohana."_

 _"_ _W-Who is Kohana?" Naruto asked fearfully._

 _The woman then let a sadistic smirk appear on her face as she said "She's one of my snake summons. Black Mamba I believe. The most vicious species of snake in my collection."_

 _Naruto's tanned face paled as he quickly began to try to run but Iruka held him in a good grip. "Look, I know my student is quite a troublesome lad but I assure you he didn't mean to bump into you…Unlike how he meant to hide those badgers in my classroom closet."_

 _Naruto laughed sheepishly._

 _"_ _Why don't I treat you out to Dango as an apology for my student's behavior. This way, you can have your treat and he still draws breath for another day."_

 _Naruto could see the woman tilt her head up in thought at this before she grinned and said "Deal. Dango outweighs the need for his blood any day. "The woman then held out her hand and said "Names Mitarashi Anko."_

 _Iruka's hand clasped with hers and replied "I'm Umino Iruka…And this-" Naruto felt Iruka lift him up into the air. "-Is Uzumaki Naruto."_

 _Naruto held out his hand and stuttered "N-Nice to meet you?"_

 _The woman, now known as Anko, merely chuckled and shook hands with him as she replied "Nice to meet you Gaki. Just remember, even though Iruka-san is treating me out, you still owe me Dango and I expect you to repay me one day."_

* * *

 ** _End Flashback – Present Time_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

Despite their rough meeting, Naruto and Anko became great friends and even became to see her as an older sister and to make things even better, Naruto soon gained another friend soon after.

* * *

 ** _Flashback – Four Years Ago_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _"_ _Why in the world did I even come here?"_

 _Naruto muttered to himself with a sad sigh as he swung on the swing by himself, a frown on his face._

 _School had just let out and Iruka was forced to grade papers so he couldn't spend time with him so here he was, in the park, watching kids his age playing with their friends._

 _Despite Iruka and Naruto's friendship after that day the scarred man saved his life, Naruto still yearned to make friends his own age and as he watched a small platinum blond haired girl playing with a chubby chestnut haired boy and a black haired but whose head was shaped like a pineapple._

 _They looked so happy playing together._

 _It only made Naruto feel terrible. But when Naruto turned his head to look away, he saw a girl his age sitting the seat of a separate set of swings with the same sad look on her face he knew was on his own._

 _Was she lonely too?_

 _'_ _This is the first time I've ever seen her in the village…she might be new…maybe she can be my friend,'_ _Naruto thought with a hopeful feeling filling his heart._

 _Naruto got off his seat and walked to the swing seat and as he did, he could hear her whisper "I w-wish I had f-friends."_

 _And that was when Naruto placed a single tap on her shoulder._

 _The small girl looked up at him and for a moment, Naruto was surprised. Her eyes…They were so unique. They looked like lavender colored pearls…They were very beautiful._

 _"Um h-hi…" The boy said softly, unable to keep the nervousness from his voice. "Can I swing with you?"_

 _The girl stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, she gave a small smile and stuttered out "S-Sure."_

 _Naruto smiled and sat down next to her and said "I bet I can swing higher than you!"_

 _The girl responded with "nu-uh" The boy simply smiled and replied "Uh-uh" and with that, the two began to swing together, both of them laughing as they went higher._

 _After twenty minutes of this, the two had stopped swinging and just sat there on the swings in silence before Naruto asked "Why w-were you sitting here all by yourself?"_

 _The girl looked down at her feet and stuttered "Because n-no one w-w-wanted to play with m-me…Why did you c-come play with m-me?"_

 _"No one would play with me either," Naruto told her truthfully. "No one except Iruka-sensei likes me…"_

 _"M-Maybe we can p-play with each o-other," She replied with a flustered look._

 _Naruto glanced at her and gave her a bashful smile and asked "Does that mean that we're friends?"_

 _The girl looked at her shoes once again with a small blush and replied "If y-you want t-to be my f-f-friend…"_

 _Naruto couldn't stop the large smile that threatened to split his face._

 _He had finally made a friend._

 _"Then you're m-my best friend forever!" Naruto exclaimed happily, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall from his eyes and as he looked at his new friend, he could see the tears in her eyes as well but she was smiling too._

 _"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said, officially introducing himself to her. "What's your name?"_

 _The girl looked away from him shyly and replied with a small voice "Hyūga Hinata…" Naruto gave her a huge smile which she returned with a small one._

* * *

 ** _End Flashback – Present Time_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

Things soon started to look up for Naruto. With Anko, Iruka and Hinata and soon even more friends in Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino by his side, Naruto slowly started to end his pranking (except on special occasions) and began to take his school work seriously.

He practiced with Hinata, Kiba and Shino any chance he got and Anko taught him some moves when she could and Naruto even studied on his own time.

But despite all of these changes, he had stilled failed.

All because of the damn Bushin test.

He shouldn't have expected Iruka to give him a second chance to prove himself but deep down, Naruto wanted his surrogate older brother to grant him a chance to prove himself and yet Iruka hadn't.

Naruto knew that Iruka was a fair teacher and while he taught Naruto all he could, he didn't want to show Naruto special treatment but selfishly, Naruto wanted him to show that to give him that second chance.

But he didn't…If he was honest with himself, Naruto was hurt by hearing the words "I'm sorry Naruto, you failed," from Iruka had hurt him deeply, to the point that he walked away and avoided everyone and went to the Hokage Monument.

And that was where Mizuki found him and whispered the sweet temptation of becoming a shinobi into his ear.

Something that Iruka, despite all the good he had done, wasn't able to give him.

And Naruto went for it.

"I can't keep dwelling on this otherwise all I did was for nothing…Iruka-sensei didn't give me a shot, Mizuki-sensei did. I need to buckle down and get this thing opened," Naruto told himself with a serious tone, trying to convince himself that this was the right way to become a shinobi.

But as he picked up the scroll and tried to open it but found out immediately that the scroll wouldn't open.

"Ok…Maybe I didn't think this thing through," Naruto stared at the scroll for a few minutes with a pout before an idea struck he stood up and began to stomp on it, seeing if it would bust open but when that failed, Naruto went for throwing it against a nearby tree but to his shock, the scroll had embedded itself into the tree.

After a few minutes of pulling at it, the scroll finally was released from the tree's death grip and decided as a last resort to take a fallen tree branch and tried to pry the scroll open found himself not being able to open it.

"Come on you damn thing!" Naruto hissed out as he kept trying to pry the scroll open with all of his strength but he used too much force and that caused the branch to snap in half which caused both of his palms to be cut deeply.

"Ah you motherfucker!" Naruto screamed out in anger as he tossed the scroll near the shed where he then fell to his knees and banged his hands upon the ground and shouted "Why…Why can't I ever catch a break?!"

All he wanted was to become a shinobi…To become Hokage and hopefully earn the respect he so desperately craved.

"Maybe everyone was right…Maybe I am a failure…" Naruto whispered softly, trying hard to keep the bitterness from his voice due to the feeling of self-loathing rearing its ugly face.

What Naruto didn't notice as he was lamenting to himself was that the scroll had started to shine brightly until it slowly filed that area.

Naruto caught the radiant blue out of the corner of his eye, Naruto turned himself around so he was sitting on his butt and let out an awed "Whoa…" before covering his eyes when it became bright enough that it began to blind him.

When the light finally died down, Naruto opened his eyes and noticed the scroll was wide open for his viewing pleasure but how could that be? He did his best to open it and yet throwing it worked?

How Bizarre.

"But who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let's get to work!" Naruto exclaimed with a smile as he walked to the scroll, picked it up and looked through it with interest.

He had come across a lot of pretty good jutsu but Naruto wanted to know one in particular.

Naruto knew it was a terrible idea to seek out this style of jutsu but at the same time, it was this style of jutsu that had failed him in the first place and he always felt the best way to grow was to overcome the very thing that had defeated him in the first place.

And when Naruto's eyes gazed upon the "Kage Bushin no Jutsu", a large grin appeared on his face.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu? That seems pretty interesting. Let's see if I can learn this," After half an hour of working on this jutsu, Naruto let a small smile appear on his face before exhaling softly. He had managed to learn the Kage Bushin jutsu.

 _'I proved everyone wrong! I do have what it takes to be a shinobi and soon…I'll prove them wrong again when I become Hokage. Believe it!'_ Naruto thought to himself as his eyes found another Jutsu he could learn.

"Hm, Bunshin Bakuha and Bushin Bakuha: Eikoudan (Exploding clone Technique: Flash bomb) that honestly sounds pretty damn cool. I better copy these down!" Naruto said to himself as he took out a scroll of his own and started to copy down the two clone jutsu along with a few others he found interesting.

But as he did this, he heard rapid footsteps coming from the forest and with an excited look in his eyes, Naruto shouted "Mizuki-sensei?!" but instead of the silver haired man, Umino Iruka came stumbling into the opening with a haggard and annoyed look on his face.

"Ah! Iruka-sensei! Did Mizuki-sensei invite you to watch me pass?" Naruto asked the scarred man while finishing the writing in his own mini-scroll but when he got a closer look at the man, Naruto instantly grew nervous.

His head looked bigger than normal and it was beat red with anger, as if it was going to explode but all of that disappeared when Iruka replied with "Wait...Mizuki? Naruto, what are you talking about?"

Naruto was confused by Iruka's own confusion and answered with "Mizuki-sensei told me if I was able to take the scroll from the old man's office, he would make me a genin. Wasn't too difficult either. I even managed to learn a new jutsu. Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, an identical Naruto stood beside the smiling original and from the look of total awe on Iruka's face, Naruto concluded that he surprised and made Iruka proud.

"W-Wow...That is amazing Naruto," Iruka stated to him with a smile on his face, which made Naruto's proud smile grow but his smile instantly vanished when Iruka added "But don't distract me Naruto. You said that Mizuki told you to meet him here with the scroll, is that correct?"

"That's right sensei!" Naruto stated with a fist pump. "Won't he be surprised that I mastered a technique stronger than that old bushin jutsu. Oh! Speaking of which..."

Naruto turned to the clone beside him and handed him the small scroll he had put the other jutsu he wanted to learn and said "Take this and hide it at our place."

"Right away boss!" The clone saluted before dashing off into the dense forest, leaving Naruto and Iruka alone once more but when Naruto turned to look at Iruka to say something, Naruto saw the really tense face of Iruka, which prompted him to ask "Sensei...Is everything ok?"

"No...Something is gravely wrong..." Iruka whispered and just then, Naruto heard the sound of laughter echoing throughout the forest but this laughter wasn't something

"I should've known you'd be here Iruka...Such a shame too...I was expecting the kid alone...ah well..."

Naruto turned around to see Mizuki, who was standing on a tree branch with a large Shuriken placed on his back, a sneer on the silver haired man's face, which was directed to Naruto's direction.

"Hey Mizuki-sensei! I got the scroll like you said. Even learned a jutsu from it! Does it mean I passed?" Naruto asked with excitement but that was before he took in the look of pure contempt that was on Mizuki's face.

It was then that Naruto knew that something was very wrong with this situation.

"What the hell is going on Mizuki?" Iruka shouted out as Naruto looked to Iruka and Mizuki back and forth with confusion in his eyes.

"What do you think, you idiot? I'm getting what belongs to me," Mizuki told his longtime friend with a smug expression as pulled his large shuriken from his back and he leapt towards Naruto with his weapon high in the air, fully intent of killing him but Naruto then felt the arms of Iruka wrap around him as he leapt to avoid the large shuriken.

"I don't understand!" Naruto heard Iruka shout with anger at Mizuki, who landed on a tree branch that was closer to the ground. "Why betray our village? Why try and set up Naruto for your heinous plot Mizuki? Answer me!"

Naruto watched Mizuki's face warp into an evil smirk as he said "My plan was simple, I get the forbidden scroll and give it my true leader, Orochimaru!"

Naruto could see Iruka's eyes widen in shock and horror and Naruto understood why this could be. Naruto had learned that Orochimaru was the Snake Sannin of their village until his sick experiments were found out and he was forced to abandon it.

Naruto also knew of it due to Anko bearing the sick mark of the snake on her neck.

But then Naruto realized the rest of Mizuki's words and instantly grew disgusted at himself. He had helped this traitor and therefor, helped the monster that had hurt Anko and so many others in the village.

What had he done?

"But that's not all…I had an ulterior motive as well…What I wanted to happen was that the moment that little blond haired monster bought the scroll to me…I was going to kill him, become the savior of this shit village before Orochimaru-sama burned this to the ground but you…You decided to interfere with my brilliant plan…And for that…You will die!"

Naruto saw Mizuki frown briefly before he jumped to a higher tree branch, tossing kunai at the two and Iruka managed avoid the quick thrown kunai to land a hit to Iruka's leg, making the man land on the tree branch wrong which sent the two falling to the ground hard.

Naruto slammed onto the ground and groaned in pain before he looked at Iruka and quickly ran to him and asked with panic in his voice "Iruka-sensei, are you ok?"

Naruto watched with worry as his sensei winced as he ripped the lone kunai out of his wounded leg as he replied with a soothing tone "I'm fine Naruto, don't you fret about me."

Naruto was concerned by this but he let it go for the moment when he heard Mizuki say from behind them "I have to admit, I'm significantly impressed that you're still trying to protect that thing, Iruka, despite the wound and all...But let's see how far you can truly go!"

Naruto saw the anger radiating in Iruka's eyes as he gripped the kunai that was just embedded in his leg before he and his opponent leapt towards each other and disappeared.

Naruto didn't see the two chūnin but he could hear metal clashing against each other as well as various grunts and groans from both men and felt his heart rate speed up.

As the clash of steel got closer and closer until Iruka's form suddenly appeared before him along with Mizuki's form, both of their respective weapons were locked in a clash.

"Iruka, I just don't get you," Naruto heard Mizuki say as the male leaned close to his sensei's sneer before he continued with "You know he's the cause of your parent's death and yet you still protect him? I'm sure Ruki-san and Kato-san are rolling around in their graves right now."

Naruto gasped.

If there was one thing Naruto had learned from Iruka, it was to never say the name of his parents, especially if those words were in mocking.

Naruto watched as Iruka pushed Mizuki away from him with a boost of chakra before Mizuki landed on a tree branch a few feet away from them.

"Don't you dare mention them traitor!" Iruka roared out before jumping towards where Mizuki was but Naruto watched the silver haired shinobi smirk quickly performed the hand seals quickly before tossing his giant shuriken and shouting "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

Naruto watched Iruka dodge the first large shuriken but when the second shuriken appeared seconds behind the first, Iruka landed on the tree branch below him to avoid it but his right shoulder was hit.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled in concern as he watched his sensei instinctively grabbed his now wounded shoulder but then Naruto saw Mizuki leap from the tree above him and towards his sensei.

Naruto quickly jumped in the air and knocked Iruka out of the way just as Mizuki was going to cleave his sensei in half.

The two fell to the ground and Naruto quickly ran to Iruka to help him up but as he did, Naruto heard Mizuki say to his sensei "But it is true Iruka, you defend the demon without hesitation! The very same being that nearly razed this village to the ground!"

 _'_ _Demon?'_ Naruto thought to himself in confusion.

Iruka wasn't protecting a demon.

"What the hell are you talking about Mizuki-teme?!" Naruto exclaimed. "Iruka-sensei isn't protecting a demon!"

Naruto watched as Mizuki leaned back and let out a hearty laugh, which only caused Naruto's confusion to grow but once the laughter died down, Mizuki said "Oh yeah…I forgot that you didn't know about this village's grand secret about you."

Now despite the dangerous situation Naruto was currently in the middle of, his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Secret? About me?" Naruto questioned to the man, who was now smirking widely.

"Oh yes little Naruto, a secret, all about you…" Mizuki responded, which caused Naruto to take a step away from Iruka with a curious look on his face.

But when Naruto was going to respond to this, the blond heard Iruka say from behind him "Naruto, get the scroll and get out of here quickly. Don't ask any questions, just go!"

"But Iruka, he needs to know about the secret about himself…Considering he doesn't know it! Who am I to hide it from him any longer?!" Mizuki shouted back to his sensei.

Naruto was at a crossroads.

Should he do as Iruka said and take the scroll and go?

Or should he listen to Mizuki about this "secret" about him?

After a moment of thought, Naruto turned to his sensei and quickly ran to the scroll and grabbed it but as he turned away to leave, he heard Mizuki shout after him "You're just doing what he wants Naruto!"

Naruto paused mid-step then slowly looked back to Mizuki but he heard Iruka shout at him "Naruto! Get out of here! Mizuki's just trying to trick you!" He shouts out as he forced himself back to his feet.

"Oh, I'm trying to trick you Naruto? Look who's talking?! Iruka's been playing you from the start, trying to gain your trust and do you want to know why? Because he plans to take revenge on you just like everyone else wants to in this village…He's played you from the very start!"

Naruto stared at Mizuki then back at Iruka, who was starting to stand back up before he finally turned back to Mizuki and asked "What are you talking about?"

"Do you know why everyone hates you including your beloved Iruka-sensei?" Mizuki asked him with a smug grin.

"Naruto, get out of here now!" Naruto heard Iruka demand but the blond refused to move.

He needed to know why. He always knew the entire village hated his guts but no one had ever taken the time to tell him why he was the pariah…It was time he knew the truth…No matter how much dread he felt within his heart.

"W-Why?" Naruto asked

Mizuki smiled manically as he shouted "Because you are the very creature that invaded Konoha twelve years ago! You are the creature that not only killed many shinobi and civilian alike, you killed you sensei's parents and nearly crushed this village. You're the reason why the most "Beloved" Hokage sacrificed himself to save this horrible place. You're the reason this all has happened…You, Uzumaki Naruto are the Kyūbi no Kitsune!"

Naruto felt everything in his body grind to a screeching halt the moment Mizuki told him this mind blowing secret.

 _'_ _I…I'm the Kyūbi no Kitsune? It...It can't be,'_ Naruto thought to himself in muted horror at the revelation that had just been revealed to him.

But then as Naruto stood there, things started to make sense.

Why everyone hated him and ignored him.

Why people seemed to be very vicious to him during his birthday, which was the same day the Kyūbi had fallen to the Yondaime Hokage.

Why the heads of stuffed and real foxes were found at his doorstep.

But the most damning of all…Was why he had whisker marks on his cheeks.

Naruto sunk to his knees in absolute dread as it began to sink in.

He was the Kyūbi…He had killed Iruka's parents and caused so much agony and grieve within the village.

He had been the one…

 _'_ _No wonder no one ever cared…'_ Naruto thought to himself, his sorrow slowly swallowing him up.

Naruto could barely hear the rest of Mizuki's rant but what he did hear was the faint sounds of whistling coming from in front of him.

It was then Naruto saw several shuriken towards him but Naruto didn't move. He couldn't…He deserved this…He had killed all those people…

But without warning, Iruka's form appeared before his kneeling form, which made Naruto gasp in surprise and then in horror when he saw spurts of blood fly from Iruka's back.

Iruka had taken the shuriken in the back…

For him…

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed in horror as Iruka lurched forward in pain but Iruka didn't respond. Instead, Naruto felt himself being picked up by the wounded chūnin before Iruka tossed down a smoke bomb, covering the entire area with white smoke.

Naruto watched as Iruka dashed towards the scroll and scooped it up into his arm before the blond felt the wind whip around them as Iruka ran deep into the forest with him in his arms like a baby but Naruto didn't move.

He didn't even try.

Naruto was still coming to terms about the reveal that was giving to him.

He was the Kyūbi…And yet, Iruka had saved his life.

But why?

 _"_ _Iruka's been playing you from the start, trying to gain your trust and do you want to know why?_ _Because he plans to take revenge on you just like everyone else wants to in this village…He's played you from the very start!"_

Mizuki's words replayed in Naruto's head and Naruto instantly became worried.

Was Mizuki right?

Was Iruka-sensei doing this as some sick payback for him killing his parents?

Was all of this, from the moment Iruka cried that day to now been one huge scheme to hurt him when he least expected it?

Naruto would quickly find out his answer when Iruka suddenly dumped him on the ground once they had gotten far enough and said "You fool…How could you let his words effect you like that? Don't you know you could have been killed?"

Naruto lowered his head so he was eyeing the ground and said "Maybe I deserve it…I-I am the Kyū-" Without warning, Naruto felt himself fall to the ground hard from Iruka's fist slamming into his right cheek.

Naruto whipped his head up to stare at Iruka with both shock and fear as he held his now reddening cheek but that's when he noticed something.

Tears…

Tears were falling from Iruka's eyes.

"Don't…Don't you say another word…" Naruto heard Iruka whispered but Naruto could tell that there was anger and sadness within his voice.

"Naruto…Listen very carefully because I'll only say this once," Iruka told him slowly, which made Naruto listen immediately.

The teen watched as Iruka fell to his knees before Naruto and said "When I first became your sensei…There were times where I had thought about befriending you only to have my revenge against you for the death of my parents….Because I thought of you as the Kyūbi…"

Naruto watched as Iruka lowered his head in shame after he said those words but the man continued with "I will not hide my mistake…I thought of you as the Kyūbi itself and treated as such…Up until that day where you left the academy during the trials of courage…"

Iruka let a sad smile appear on his face, which Naruto had only seen when Iruka was truly upset. "I remember the words you said to me that day…How you said that you know everyone hated you, myself as well…And it stuck with me. At first, I thought you were tricking me but every night until we met again, all I could see is those eyes…Those beautiful ocean blue eyes filled with tears…"

Iruka paused as a groan of pain left his lips but as Naruto reached for his sensei, Iruka raised his hand to stop him, which made Naruto lower his arm. "So I went to the Hokage to talk to him about it and I will never forget what he asked me i-in regards to you being its jailer…"Just because you live in a house, does that mean that you are the house itself?" At first…I didn't know what he meant but that night on the bench, I finally realized what it meant…"

"A-And what did it mean?" Naruto asked fearfully, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice but failing when his voice cracked.

"That you aren't the Kyūbi no Kitsune…You are merely its container and that was what made me break down. That entire time, I treated you as a monster when you never, ever deserved it and even at this very moment, I am so ashamed at myself for treating you the way I did back then."

Naruto then felt Iruka's hand rest on his head to slightly rub his blond hair as he said "You're not the Kyūbi no Kitsune…You're Uzumaki Naruto…The most hyperactive, loud mouthed, kind hearted trickster that I've grown to know and love as my baby brother and I humbly apologize to you for all that I have done and felt about you before that day…Please…will you forgive this fool for his past transgressions?"

Naruto didn't know what to say to that.

When Iruka first admitted that what Mizuki had said was true made him want to run away but as Iruka continued, Naruto could hear the truth in his sensei's voice and soon, Naruto felt tears prickling at his eyes as Iruka, the man he saw as a big brother, asked for forgiveness for his past mistakes and that had really touched his heart.

How could he refuse something as heartfelt like that? "S-Sensei…Of course I forgive you…Was there any doubt?"

Iruka let out a small smile at this until the sounds of clapping reached Naruto's ears.

"How cute, the two have made up. It's too bad that this is the final day for you both," Mizuki's taunting voice rang out from all around them before the familiar sound of whistling reached his ears.

But where was it coming from?

Without warning, Naruto felt Iruka's hand grab the back of his neck before he was thrown forcefully to the side and that was when the whistling stopped but the sound of metal slicing into wood was heard.

Naruto looked up and that Iruka had the large shuriken wedge within the left side of his chest and he was just kneeling there, in the same spot that he was in when he apologized to him. Iruka slowly fell to his back, with the large shuriken still in his chest.

And he wasn't moving…

Cold.

That's what Naruto was feeling right now as he gazed upon the now deceased figure of his sensei, not even aware that hot tears were falling down his face.

Just earlier today, Iruka Umino was smiling, eating, yelling, and running but most of all, he was alive but now...He was gone.

Just like that.

In Naruto's head, the smiling face of Iruka's was slowly fading away until his sensei's corpse was in its place that's when Naruto heard chuckling coming from behind him that soon grew into an uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh Iruka…Pathetic, even upon death!" The cruel voice laughed out.

With a slow, heavy breath that seemed to echo with the rage, Naruto rose to his feet and turned around to see the laughing Mizuki leaned against a tree, a kunai dangling from his right index finger.

"Now with him out of the way, Hand me the scroll and I promise you'll be seeing your demon loving sensei so-"

Seeing red at the mention of his dead sensei, Naruto leapt at Mizuki to start his unrelenting assault, sending a flurry of sloppy punches and kicks as he shouted "I'm going to kill you!" only to have Mizuki dodge most if not all of them.

"Aw, the little demon is trying to avenge his sensei how cute!" Mizuki shouted out as he kneed Naruto in his stomach, taking the breath out of the young child.

Naruto fell to the ground in a small ball, struggling to gain his breath but Mizuki grabbed him by his hair and rammed the boy's face into his knee before grabbing the boy's head and slammed it hard into the ground repeatedly with an insane laugh.

Mizuki then lifted Naruto's head back up and smirked down at the now bloody face of the boy and asked "What do you have to say now Demon?" before tossing him hard towards Iruka's body.

Naruto coughed heavily as he wrapped an arm around his stomach, his forehead touching the ground with pain etched on his face.

Naruto knew that he was in over his head.

He wasn't even a shinobi and here he was trying to fight a chūnin. But he knew that while he was unskilled, he had something up his sleeve.

As Naruto struggled to get on his knees, he looked at his sensei and noticed something.

He could see Iruka's chest rising and falling…very slowly.

Iruka was alive!

But Naruto knew from the blood pooling around his sensei that he needed to get Iruka out of here soon or else he would really die.

Without warning, Naruto was suddenly and rather brutally kicked in his stomach, hard enough for him to roll repeatedly before slowly stopping near his sensei but he tried to rise off the ground again only to be lifted up by the front of his jumpsuit by the traitor who raised him high into the air and with boisterous, maniacal voice, he shouted "It's time for this game to end Kyūbi!"

In response to being called the Kyūbi, Naruto licked up the blood that was flowing from his mouth and spat it in Mizuki's face which surprised the silver haired man before his face melted into a look of rage.

"You filthy Mongrel!" Mizuki barked out before his free fist shot out and slammed into Naruto's stomach repeatedly which caused blood to fly from Naruto's lips.

After landing a final punch to Naruto's face, Mizuki twisted his body around and tossed the pre-teen towards a tree where Naruto bounced off of it and fell to the ground, right behind a large green bush.

Naruto groaned out in agony and coughed heavily but then he realized something.

Now was his chance!

"Come on out _Naruto-kun_ , It's time we end our game!" Naruto heard Mizuki shout but that was when Naruto made the hand sign for the jutsu he had just learned.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto screamed out and just then, the entire area around him exploded into smoke.

When the smoke faded away, two dozen Naruto's were crouching in the trees above him, each one with a dangerous gleam in their eyes while Naruto held stood up to face the rather amused Mizuki and listened as the insane man said "Oh look at this, the demon can make replicas. It's a pity however that these are fake."

Naruto let a large smirk appear on his face at these words and shouted "That's where you're wrong Mizuki-teme! These aren't regular bushins. These are Kage Bushins!"

Naruto could see the surprised look appear on Mizuki's face but as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared back into the insane expression as the man shouted "Kage Bushin….So these are true clones, big deal demon. You may have the numbers behind you but I have the experience, the training, the power. You are nothing to me!"

Along with all of clones, Naruto narrowed their cold, empty eyes at him and with the coldest voice he could, Naruto said "Kill him."

Naruto didn't wait to see his clones attack Mizuki and instead quickly ran to Iruka's body and kneeled against it and began to pick it up to sneak away from the battle but just as he got him off the ground, Mizuki's foot slammed right into his face, which sent Naruto slamming backwards into a tree.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Naruto heard Mizuki shout but Naruto summoned several more clones and told them to attack the man but as Naruto rose from the bush he was hiding behind, he saw something he didn't want to see.

Naruto watched Mizuki flip into the air to avoid two clones with kunai in their hands and landed on their faces then flipped off of them to decapitate them both where he then watched the man land on the ground and kicked two more clones in the chest then spun the shuriken to cut the downed clones in half where then laughed darkly, facing the eight remaining clones as well as the original.

"Well, well, well…Look at this! Not a scratch on me! Now come, come and let finish you off!" the remaining clones jumped into the fray and rained down blows upon Mizuki, who used his weapon to block their blows.

And once more, Naruto quickly dashed towards Iruka's body at a desperate pace but the body of his own clone slammed into his chest, sending both him and the clone rolling backwards on the ground.

Naruto rose up and saw Mizuki smirk before focusing back on the clones and Naruto felt angered by this.

He didn't know if Mizuki knew Iruka was alive but he would not let Naruto take the man so Naruto only had one choice.

To make sure Mizuki wasn't standing to stop him.

As Mizuki battled his clones, Naruto dashed towards Mizuki and leapt into the air and the moment Mizuki turned his head, Naruto slammed his knee into Mizuki's face but the man countered by jumping in the air and kneed Naruto under his chin, sending the Uzumaki high into the air where Mizuki threw his shuriken.

But Naruto saw his clone leap up and take kunai while another clone grabbed Naruto and flung him back to Mizuki where he then delivered a punch towards the traitor only to curse as Mizuki dodged it and countered with a knee to the face.

Naruto rolled to the side and watched as Mizuki grabbed a clone by the face and drove it into the ground before stabbing it in the head with a kunai before he dashed towards him.

Naruto's clones ran towards Mizuki and once they met in the middle, Naruto leapt over Mizuki and kicked the back of his head while two clones slide on the ground and grabbed Mizuki's ankles then pulled back, making him fall forward.

Once Mizuki's face hit the ground, two clones grabbed his arms and held them down while the last clone and Naruto jumped in the air and slammed their knees into his back hard, making him yell in pain only for the clone and Naruto to begin to stomp down on the man's back.

Naruto leapt away when Mizuki shook off the clones that were holding his feet and arms before he grabbed two kunai that were dropped and effortlessly killed the two clones by his arms then he threw the projectiles between the eyes of the two clones.

But Naruto saw that Mizuki was temporarily blinded by the smoke of the clones and Naruto took the advantage by grabbing a discarded kunai that was nearby and quickly slammed his shoulder into the man hard enough to send them both to the ground.

And that was when Naruto repeatedly rammed the kunai into Mizuki's chest furiously. Naruto could feel the sticky, hot liquid that was Mizuki's blood on his hands but Naruto couldn't stop until the handle of the kunai broke within the man's chest.

Panting heavily, Naruto gazed down at Mizuki's completely bloodied chest and face and felt his gaze lingering on it, staring at the blood that flowed down the silver haired man's face and closed his eyes as he looked up into the air, breathing in the smell of blood but he then opened his eyes and lifted his right hand over his face and seeing Mizuki's blood drip from off his right hand and onto his whisker marks on his face.

Naruto panted and climbed off of Mizuki's chest and fell to the ground next to the now dead nuke-nin and panted heavily, his entire body sore from the complete beating he had suffered but it was now over.

Naruto turned his head and saw Iruka still in the spot he was in before Naruto stood up and limped to Iruka's body and noticed that the man was still faintly breathing.

He was still alive…

Naruto leaned down and lifted Iruka off the ground as best as he could and slowly limped to the scroll and as he leaned down to grab it, he heard an unfamiliar voice come from behind him.

"I knew Mizuki was not enough to complete this mission…." a feminine voice stated, her voice void of emotion. Naruto turned his head to see a hooded figure standing above the dead Mizuki's body, a blood red katana being held in the right hand.

Naruto could feel the dread form in his stomach as he stared at the figure.

He didn't even hear this person appear…

"I am impressed you were able to defeat him while being so weak…Then again, that is the power of the Uzumaki that Orochimaru-sama has spoken of..." The figure stated before the figured disappeared completely.

Naruto felt his "Flight" instincts go haywire at the figure vanishing but the moment Naruto turned around to run, he felt something cold and sharp enter his chest.

Naruto gasped in shock as he looked down at the blood red metal of the figure's katana was going through his chest. "Alas…This is how far that power goes…" Naruto heard the figure state before the cold steel was removed from his chest.

Naruto fell to his knees and then faced first to the ground, his eyes watching as the hooded figure grabbed the scroll and feebly tried to stop the figure but the figure disappeared within a plume of black smoke.

Naruto's eyes roamed to Iruka's body and reached out to him as he feebly said "S-Sen…Sensei…" before everything went black.

* * *

 ** _Unknown Location_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _'_ _S-Sen…Sensei…'_

That was the first thought that ran through Uzumaki Naruto's head as he laid on the wet sand that was beneath him.

"Sand?" Naruto whispered in confusion as he eyed the wet sand beneath him in confusion. Suddenly, a large wave of crystal blue water slammed on top of him, causing him to shriek in alarm.

Once the wave died down, Naruto waddled out of the water, his black shirt and orange pants clinging to his wet form as he shuffled far enough away from the water before he fell to his knees on the dry hot sand, coughing violently.

Once the coughing died down, Naruto leaned up and brushed his dripping wet hair from his eyes and looked around.

He was currently kneeling on a white, sandy beach with crystal blue water behind him and a clear blue sky above him but how did he get here?

"W-Where am I?" Naruto breathed out slowly but the moment he said that, a smooth, deep voice spoke from behind him.

 _"_ _You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you, Uzumaki Naruto?"_

* * *

Rain: And that is where I end it. So I actually went fairly deep into Naruto and Iruka's relationship this time around and while things mostly stayed the same, things did change as well. So, tell me what you guys think in the reviews. Until the next chapter!

Mario: See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Rain: Man, you guys are clearly the best! Thank you so much for the reviews. Now its time for the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

 ** _Chapter Two_**

 _"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you, Uzumaki Naruto?"_

Naruto twisted his body around sharply the second he heard the voice but when he turned, he saw a rather pale woman standing behind him, dressed in a nice pink silk kimono with splashes of blue flower petals, a white colored scarf around her neck.

That was strange…He could have sworn he heard a male behind him…But he quickly tossed that aside when he got a good look at her face.

"Wow…" Naruto murmured with a small hint of a blush on his face.

The woman seemed to understand his single word response and her face lit up with a faint blush, her platinum-white hair falling against her reddened, freckled cheeks as her glowing purple irises moved to the side.

The woman was absolutely beautiful but there was something about her that put him on edge.

He didn't even know where he was and yet…There was this woman standing before him…With glowing purple blue eyes.

"Are you ok? I noticed you stumbling out of the water," The woman asked him with concern, her voice echoing slightly.

"You could say that…I am a little confused at where I am," Naruto responded, a little unsure at what to say after that. The woman seemed to nod at this and let out a small chuckle.

"It is understandable…When I appeared here, I was unsure what occurred to me either," The woman said with a wistful smile on her face, which only caused Naruto's confusion.

"So…You know where I am?" Naruto asked her as he took a step closer to her.

The woman simply nodded.

"You're in the Tamashii Nohara (Soul field). This is where all the souls that have passed on appear," The woman told him softly.

At first, Naruto had no idea what she had meant by that. Why would he be in an area where souls would be involved…Unless he was…

"No…no, no, no, no, no…" Naruto whispered shakily as he fell to his knees. "It couldn't be…That is a lie!" Naruto shouted in horror but the woman gazed at him with sadness in her eyes before she nodded her head lightly.

"I am sorry Uzumaki Naruto…You have passed on…" She whispered softly.

"T-That can't be possible…" Naruto stated, trying to keep his breathing under control but he began to hyperventilate. "I can't be dead…I-I-I haven't…" Naruto tried to say but he could feel tears prickling at his eyes.

He couldn't be dead…He couldn't be.

He had so much to live for!

He had to live his dream to become the Hokage…To gain the respect of everyone in the village…But now that dream has slipped away.

But as Naruto spiraled down into unending sorrow, his mind suddenly went blank as a memory rippled through his head.

* * *

 ** _Flashback – Five Years Ago_**

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato - Ichikaru's Ramen Shop_**

 _"You look troubled. What's wrong?"_

 _Naruto looked up from his steaming hot bowl of ramen to the face of the concerned Iruka. "Do you ever think about your parents?" Naruto asked after a seconds of silence._

 _Curious blue eyes watched as the tan skinned scarred man lowered the chopsticks, a frown etched on his face. "Every single day…" Iruka answered solemnly, his voice wavering ever so slightly._

 _"Whenever I'm feeling down and out, the memory of my parents lift me and help me soldier on during the toughest times of life. They mean the world to me and despite how they were taken from me, I wouldn't trade the good memories that they gave me for anything in this world. Why do you ask?"_

 _A frown appeared on the boy's face after the man's words._

 _"I…I had a dream last night about a woman with flowing red hair…She said she was my mom and that she was watching over me…" The boy answered sadly, lowering his gaze._

 _"It felt so real but when I woke up, I was still alone…I've been thinking about it all day and each time, I felt lonelier and lonelier…I just want to stop thinking about her because it makes me feel alone and sad."_

 _The boy sniffled slightly but then his eyes saw the sadness within the older male's eyes and suddenly, the boy began to feel bad as well._

 _"B-But no worries now, you're here with me Iruka-sensei. I don't feel so alone anymore," The boy said with a genuine smile._

 _The scarred man placed his chopsticks down on the still steaming bowl filled with ramen and without warning, the boy felt Iruka pull him into a tight hug, which the child returned just as tight._

 _"As long as I am breathing…You will never be alone," The man whispered._

 _"Promise?" Naruto whispered with a hopeful tone._

 _The man chuckled._

 _"I promise."_

 ** _End Flashback_**

* * *

 ** _Present Time - Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

"I-I failed to save him…" Naruto whispered, as the full implications of that memory told him at this very moment. Before he appeared here, Naruto was close to saving him but he was…k-killed before he could.

He wasn't able to save Iruka…

Iruka was dead as well

…And the knowledge that he had caused it all had completely shattered something deep inside his heart.

And it was his fault…

Naruto couldn't even feel the arms of the woman slide around him as he sobbed, feeling more helpless than he had ever felt.

And once he did feel her arms around him, he merely nestled closer to her and hugged the woman for death life, unable to stop the hard sobbing that he was currently engaged in.

"It'll be ok," the woman told him as her hand stroked his back softly, to try and console him as best she could.

* * *

 ** _Real World – Konohagakure no Sato_**

 ** _Ino-Shika-Cho Team_**

Yamanaka Inoichi was jumping from tree to tree as he they searched for the missing forbidden scroll and Uzumaki Naruto.

He along with his two best friends/fellow jōnins Akimichi Chōza and Nara Shikaku were looking for Naruto and the forbidden scroll until they heard a huge explosion near the forest.

Thinking the same thing as his shadow user friend, the three of them rushed into the forest until they came by Iruka's body and a large puddle of bleed nearby him.

"Oh no…" Inoichi whispered as he, Chōza and Shikaku ran to Iruka's form.

"Iruka…" Chōza murmured softly as he kneeled down to feel if Iruka was still alive but after a full moment, there was no pulse.

He was gone.

Chōza let out a sad sigh as he slowly shook his head as he plucked the rather heavy shuriken from Iruka's chest with some difficulty as he said "…Chōji once told me that Iruka adores the boy and from what he also told me, Naruto felt the same way about Iruka… Naruto may have stolen the scroll but he couldn't have done this…He couldn't have killed Iruka…Not like this…"

"This makes no sense…." Inoichi told them, crossing his arms while his face scrunched up in thought before he turned to Shikaku and asked "Want to share your opinion on this?"

Inoichi watched as Shikaku looked into the air before he asked "Chōza, how much does that shuriken weight?"

Chōza stared at his friend but shrugged as he lifted the large shuriken up and down before saying "A good thirty pounds."

Inoichi watched as Shikaku nodded before the Nara turned him and said "It was too much for any child…Bearer of the Kyūbi or not…Inoichi…Can just anyone get a weapon like that?"

Inoichi shook his head but he was still a little confused at why his friend was asking these questions but he answered his friend with "No, only chūnin and over can by shinobi weapons like this shuriken and with one of this size and weight, Naruto would need to be very strong to hold it, let alone throw it."

"…Do any of you think a mere kid can steal a large shuriken like that without tripping any of the alarms?" both Inoichi and Chōza shook their heads at this question but then both of them started to put the pieces together.

Shikaku looked towards Iruka's body and said "…You know, Shikamaru told me that Naruto was the only student to fail the genin exams today…and now he's involved with stealing the scroll and Iruka's dead with a thirty pound shuriken that chūnin and up can carry…You both know what I am implying right?"

"Yeah…Someone made Naruto steal the scroll…Iruka got here to stop them and somehow, Iruka winds up dead and the scroll missing..." Chōza told them with a cold look on his face.

"But the true question is this, who could have caused this. It would take someone that knows the village intimately to plan it out," Inoichi stated as he and Chōza looked towards Shikaku.

The Nara merely looked ahead and responded with "Yes...but it seems, we have found our suspect already."

Shikaku then motioned with his head, which caused Inoichi and Chōza to look behind them to see Mizuki's downed form.

The three walked towards Mizuki's downed form and noticed a very thick pool of blood around him and immediately, the three knew Mizuki was dead as well.

"Well…I knew there was a reason I never liked this bastard," Chōza muttered as he spat on the ground.

If there was anything he hated more than anything was a traitor to their village.

Inoichi kneeled down and unzipped the dead man's flak jacket and opened it up and then lifted his shirt to see multiple puncture wounds in his chest. "Hm…multiple stab wounds in the chest," Inoichi stated before he noticed saw a glint of metal catch his eye.

Inoichi grabbed the metal and tugged on it hard enough and when he did, a broken kunai was what he was now holding. "Whoever did this to him must have been truly furious…"

"Hm…This entire area looks as if a huge battle took place here," Chōza stated as he looked around. Tons of tree branches were broken that there were tons of kunai and shuriken scattered about, not to mention tons of blood.

"Well…We won't get the full story until we find Naruto. He's the final piece to this puzzle," Shikaku stated to his two best friends.

"But the question is…Where could he be…And is he even alive at this point?"

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto_**

Sometime had passed since Naruto's mental breakdown and Naruto found himself tiring himself out from the intense emotion that was pouring out of him and now, Naruto found himself opening his eyes drowsily as he felt something running through his blond locks.

What had happened?

Last thing he remembered was that nice woman telling him that he had died.

"You're finally awake," The now familiar voice of the woman whispered sweetly from above him.

It was then that Naruto realized that his head was currently in her lap and the feeling that was going through his hair was her soft, pale hand.

Naruto turned his head a bit more and saw that she currently wore a gentle smile, which made a rather flustered Naruto to slide his head away from her lap and muttered "I'm sorry I fell asleep…"

The woman laughed gently and as she stood up, she responded with "It is no trouble at all Naruto-kun. People finding out they have passed on usually have that reaction."

Naruto became flustered at how she said his name with such kindness but then he realized something.

How did she know his name?

Actually, that's the second issue.

The first issue is who the hell is she and how did she know that he had died?

"I have so many questions…" Naruto began to say but the woman only chuckled, as if she knew he was going to say this and merely looked to the sky.

"And I have many answers for you. Take your time to ask them," The woman told him calmly, her glowing purple irises focusing back on his form.

"Ok…" Naruto said with an unsure tone in his voice, trying to figure out a starting point. "So how do you know I died?"

The woman turned her head and looked out to the seemingly endless ocean and answered "Well, when a new soul is bought here, they are washed up from the Kaiyō no Kojin (Ocean of the Departed). Once here, I meet with them before leading them from the Tamashii Nohara to their final destination."

Naruto listened to her answer and could only come up with one other question.

"Are you the Shinigami?"

The woman merely laughed, strangely sounding cute to Naruto's ears, before she answered with "I am not the Shinigami-sama. I am merely Shinigami-sama's assistant, Seishin (Spirit). When Shinigami-sama is busy, he leaves me in charge of sending the spirits to their final destination."

"Seishin," Naruto repeated before he nodded and said "So that means you are here to send me to either Heaven or Hell then…I understand. I deserve whatever happens to me…"

Naruto was surprised by how emotionally empty he had sounded. How could he not be? He had died and caused Iruka to die as well.

There was nothing he could any more other than to go where Seishin would take him but…There was one more thing he needed to know.

"But before you send me to wherever my new home will be, I need to know something, have you seen Umino Iruka here? He's tall, brown hair, tan skin. Has a scar across the bridge of his nose?" Naruto asked with worried eyes.

To his surprise, Seishin nodded immediately before she replied "I did…Moments before you arrived actually but…Shinigami-sama took him and his going to send him to Hell..."

This made Naruto's eyes widen in shock.

H-He was taken by the Shinigami?

And he was going to go to Hell?!

Naruto immediately felt a stab of agony hit his heart.

How many times could Iruka-sensei suffer because of him?

First Naruto had let him down…Then the blond was responsible for his death…And now that Iruka was dead, he was going to be sent to Hell?!

No… Iruka was nothing short but a damned saint, there was no reason he was going to Hell and that thought alone made Naruto scowl in a fury he had only felt when Mizuki had dealt the fatal blow to Iruka.

"Seishin-chan…Are you able to take me to the Shinigami?" Naruto asked softly, his blond hair lowered over his eyes.

"Take you to Shinigami-sama? Why would I do that?" Seishin asked him.

"Seishin-chan…Iruka-sensei is my older brother…He is the one that made me feel more than what I was…an idiotic, pathetic, lonely container of the Kyūbi no Kitsune…He taught me so much throughout my life and never… **ever** thought about himself..."

Naruto clenched his fist as tightly as possible and said "Every day…He did his best to raise me right…And I let him down…I took the easy way out when I should have did things through hard work and determination like he did…Well no more…"

Iruka would no longer suffer.

He had to save Iruka from his fate in Hell.

He failed before he was killed but he will succeed now.

Naruto glanced up at her with a look of determination and said "It's my fault Iruka-sensei is even in this situation…But I will rectify that. I will save Iruka-sensei from his fate…Even if I have to fight the Shinigami itself!"

He could see Seishin's stunned expression due to his words but he didn't blame her.

Fighting the Shinigami, the very being that rules over the dead? It was unheard of but Uzumaki Naruto never backed down from anyone or anything.

Besides…Iruka was important to him and it was his fault that Iruka died in the first place. What kind of little brother would he be if he left Iruka in the hands of the master of death?

Then again…What kind of brother was he causing Iruka's death in the first place?

"Fight the Shinigami?" Naruto heard Seishin stammer, which caused him to nod in response.

"Uzumaki Naruto. That is foolish mistake, you foolish fool! Anyone that has even entertained the thought of fighting the Shinigami-sama is issued an automatic ride to Hell! Would you really go risk your assured place in Heaven?!"

Naruto was surprised to hear that he was bound to Heaven and at first; it made him smile.

But without warning, the image of Iruka on the ground with a shuriken embedded in his chest quickly squashed that happy feeling.

"Heh…Heaven…Iruka-sensei deserves Heaven more than I do…" Naruto stated with a bitter grin on his face.

But what he didn't expect was anger to appear on Seishin's face.

"Idiot!" Seishin exclaimed. "You don't know the tortures of Hell! No one with such a pure soul belongs there! It is only reserved for those truly evil!"

Naruto shook his head slowly and looked to the ground and responded "I'm no more evil than some of the worst beings there…But what happens to me doesn't matter. It hasn't since he told me his true feelings...Iruka-sensei is my brother and I will help him no matter the cost. Whether I fight that damn Shinigami or I trade my spot in Heaven for his in Hell, I will because he means the world to me...I betrayed him once...Never again..."

The two remained silent for what seemed like a lifetime before Seishin let out a soft laugh.

"I must say, I've heard it all from a lot of souls that found out they are dead. Some have cried, some have laughed, some tried to bargain and even a few tried to fight me and yet, you have surprised me...You are truly something, Uzumaki Naruto..." Seishin told him before she shut her eyes. "To fight Shinigami-sama is a huge undertaking and you already know the risks...And you still want to do it? All to save the life of Umino Iruka?"

"Without hesitation," Naruto told her truthfully.

Seishin opened her eyes and stared at him long and hard before a gentle smile formed on her face. "Very well Uzumaki Naruto. It's obvious you are set on doing this so I suppose I can't sway you from this path of certain failure. No matter how stupid it is," Seishin stated before she grinned. "You are very determined to do this so I will help you."

"I've always been fairly hard headed so I knew you wouldn't win our battle of determination," Naruto said with a large grin on his face. "So, can you transport us there?" Naruto asked her curiously.

Seishin let out an embarrassed laugh and replied "Nope. I never had a need to transport so I don't have the key to the Shinigami's throne."

Naruto face faulted at her answer but quickly recovered when she added "However, I do know the way there. It will take us some time to get there however and I cannot say how long it'll be sadly. All is that we should start moving."

Naruto nodded and let a grin appear on his face before he asked with a cheeky tone "Before night falls?"

Seishin chuckled at this and replied "Yes, before night falls."

The two shared a smile before they both walked away from the sandy beach but as Naruto walked, a determined look appeared on Naruto's face.

 _'Don't worry Iruka-sensei…I'll save you soon!'_

* * *

Rain: A pretty short chapter but a good starting point for what I will call "Journey of the Departed" Arc. This will deal with Naruto's journey to meet the Shinigami to free Iruka and with the assistant of the Shinigami in known as Seishin.

I can't tell you guys where this idea came from but after re-reading what I had in Reincarnation, I decided I wanted to do more than just have his mother appear so this idea came forth. So I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I will see you all later!

Mario: See you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter and I am so sorry for such the long wait but I am now back and I hope you guys like this chapter. I wanted to approach this at a brand new angle so I hope you guys enjoy this change so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

 ** _Chapter Three_**

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto and Seishin_**

Naruto had to admit, it was very beautiful here.

The world around him seemed to have such an otherworldly presence. The sky above him now was a midnight blue and the stars above him were sparkling bright, and in pale blue, white and cherry blossom pink.

And below him, was crisp pale blue grass and with each step he took, faint shards of crystal floated from the grass below and into the air around him and Seishin.

And all around him were trees with pale blue leaves flowing in the cold crisp breeze around him but each time this breeze would appear; he could hear the faint sounds of soft bell chimes within it.

But as Naruto gazed at the beauty surrounding him with wonder in his eyes, Seishin gazed at the area with sadness.

Despite her willingness to help Naruto, Seishin knew that the minute she agreed to help him, she had done something that no one who served the Shinigami had done.

She was leading the soul to her master to try and fight him.

Despite the honorable reasons, The Shinigami would see it as a betrayal and would banish her to the ninth circle of Hell and despite her immense fears; she did not fear her fate.

She had betrayed her master.

And because of that, she accepted her fate.

The only thing that she could do is gaze at the world she had come to love one last time until the Royal Guard was sent to stop them.

All she could do is apologize for letting her master down.

Little did she know however, Naruto was staring at her in concern.

Naruto had realized after a few minutes of looking at this winter wonderland of the dead with Seishin, he realized that she had not spoken to him since they stated this journey back at the Kaiyō no Kojin.

All he could see was that she had a sad, yet resigned, look on her face.

But why would she look like that in a beautiful place like this?

"Seishin-chan…What's the matter?" Naruto asked her softly but Seishin continued to walk forward in silence, as if she didn't hear him at all.

"Seishin-chan…" Naruto said a little louder, trying to gain her attention but she once again refused to say anything.

Finally, Naruto ran in front of her and said "Hey! Stop ignoring me!"

The pain in Seishin's eyes blinked away into a surprised look when she finally saw Naruto in front of her.

"Naruto-san?" Seishin questioned with a startled tone. "What is wrong? Why did you stop me?"

"Why did I stop you?" Naruto asked with a confused tone. "I've been trying to get your attention for a long time now and yet you never responded. I was wondering what was wrong? You seem sad," Naruto said, his voice getting softer as he finished talking.

Seishin blinked in surprise at Naruto's words before a sad smile appeared on her face. "It is nothing Naruto-san…We need to continue on before something happens," Seishin said to him gently, trying to keep the sadness from filling her voice.

But Naruto knew something was wrong as the sadness appeared in her eyes once more and as much as Naruto wanted to push the issue, he decided against it for now.

Instead, in an effort to distract her from whatever was causing her sadness, Naruto asked "It's very beautiful here Seishin-chan. Where are we?"

Seishin turned around and answered "Shinrin no Kesshō Seishin (Forest of the Crystal Spirit). It's one of the most beautiful places in the afterlife."

"But why was it created?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

"To house the souls that were ice users in their lifetime during their time here. You see, when a soul is created, their elemental affinity is created with them. When they come here, their souls can't be too far from what their affinity was in life. This would be the Hyōton users would stay until it was their time to be sent to heaven or hell."

"Really? So there are many different areas like this one then?" Naruto asked as he slowed down to a stop.

Seishin stopped as well and replied "Yes. Those with multiple affinities can fit in any of our zones that coordinate with their affinities."

"I…I see…" Naruto stated before his eyes widened in horror as he suddenly looked down at himself and started to touch random spots on his body as he shouted "But wait a minute! Why isn't that happening to me then?! I should be breaking down, right?!"

Seishin let out a chuckle and answered "Simple, I put a very special mark on you when you took your rest. This mark is to let you walk through without you breaking down and ceasing to be. How do you think all of the souls get to the Shinigami with this handicap?"

Naruto had no answer for her but he merely nodded and said "So how far are we from the Shinigami's domain?"

Seishin looked at the sky above and muttered to herself softly before she said "We are still very far away from the Shinigami's domain. But we are closer than we were when we started..."

Naruto was worried.

He needed to reach Iruka before it was too late.

But strangely enough, he was feeling exhausted from the long trek he had taken thus far.

That actually made him think.

Could souls feel exhausted?

Naruto didn't know but all he knew was that he was exhausted.

But he couldn't stop while Iruka was in danger!

He had to push through this exhaustion and keep going to save him!

"Well…There's no sense in sticking around here. We need to keep moving," Naruto said as he began to sprint through the icy forest with Seishin following suit but after several moments of running, the two found themselves at an opening of the forest where a large river sat.

"Oh great…" Naruto grumbled. "How do we get across this?" Naruto asked, more to himself than Seishin with a frown on his face.

Of all the things that stopped him, a river had to be one of them.

"Well…We walk across of it," Seishin stated as she stood behind Naruto.

Naruto turned his head to her in surprise and asked "Walk across it?"

Seishin smiled at the surprised expression on Naruto's face and nodded with a small giggle. "Yes. We walk across the river. It's as simple as that," Seishin told him with a smile on her face.

Naruto blinked in confusion and stared at the river and saw the gentle waves of water before he then looked back to her and said "You can walk on water?"

Seishin nodded and demonstrated this by walking to the water and taking a step and then followed by another until she was firmly standing on the water, much to Naruto's amazement.

"You see, despite this being the world between Heaven and Hell, everything works like the world we used to belong in. Chakra controls all here in Tamashii Nohara."

"That is strange…You would think chakra wouldn't be needed here…Now that I think about it…Why would souls be exhausted or need sleep or anything like that here? As souls, they shouldn't no longer need all of that," Naruto asked as he crossed his arms.

Seishin looked up at the beautiful star lit sky above her and said "I asked that same question when I was bought here thirteen years ago after I passed…Shinigami-sama believes that if we put some of the rules that humanity follows during their life, it makes the transition a little easier until judgment is to be passed."

"So…Would I get hungry here?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

Seishin shook her head "While you can sleep and get exhausted, food is a rule that did not carry over."

Naruto pouted at this and said "Aww man…I sure did want some ramen…" as he looked at the ground with his hands on his stomach but had he noticed, he would have seen Seishin lick her lips at the mention of Ramen.

Without warning however, there was a large splash that hit the middle of the lake, which caused both Naruto and Seishin to look at what caused the huge splash in surprise.

But their surprise turned into shock when the entire lake froze into pure ice, with Seishin leaping off the water and back behind Naruto before the river froze completely.

"What in the world?" Naruto muttered as he looked at the now frozen splash. Suddenly, the frozen splash seemed to begin to crack and splinter from the middle outward before it exploded, revealing a rather pale woman with a flowing white dress which had silver snowflakes etched within them.

But on top of the dress was silver-white colored armor that covered her back and her shoulders but left her arms.

The woman's silver-white hair seemed to flow thanks to the otherworldly wind that gently swept through the area.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" The woman said gently, her voice filled with warmth. The woman then turned around to reveal the front of her armor along with her glowing silver-white irises and said "It is good to see you have finally made it."

The woman before them looked to be middle aged and if Naruto had to guess, he would place her at thirty-five to forty years old but she was still very beautiful but his mind quickly realized two things.

One, she knew his name.

And two, he didn't have a bloody idea of who she was.

But maybe Seishin did but as he turned to her and asked "Um, do you know who she is?" he noticed that Seishin was very confused by the presence of this woman, who had leapt from the middle of the frozen river and landed before Naruto and Seishin.

Seishin nodded her head before she turned to Naruto and replied "She is Miyuki…She is the guardian of this realm but she normally never reveals herself unless she is keeping order for those that have not passed on yet…And she is also one of Shinigami-sama's royal guard…"

Seishin's glowing pink irises then looked to Miyuki and asked "But why are you here and why have you revealed yourself to us?"

"And how do you know my name?" Naruto followed up with a frown.

Miyuki chuckled softly as she glanced at both Seishin and Naruto and said "The answer is simple…Shinigami-sama heard of Naruto's vow to battle for Umino Iruka's soul…Since Shinigami-sama knows that you are helping him Seishin-san, He has asked of me to defeat and banish both you and Naruto-san to hell."

Both Naruto and Seishin's eyes widened in shock at this but it was Naruto's eyes that quickly narrowed in anger. "How dare that bastard! I forced Seishin to help me! She doesn't deserve to go to hell for me! No one does!"

"And I certainly agree with you…" Miyuki said as her gaze turned to Seishin. "Shinigami-sama is forever grateful to her for her decades of service in both her living life and spiritual life but she had a mission to send you to heaven. She disobeyed and no one disobeys the Shinigami…No matter what the reason…"

Seishin lowered her gaze to the ground and said "She is right…I wanted to help you because of your strong spirit and determination…I knew the risks…And I still accepted…I accept my fate to damnation."

"No matter!" Naruto shouted at her before turning his gaze to Miyuki to shout "I alone will be going to hell! No one else!"

Miyuki stared at him for a moment and said "Then how about this…If, and only if, you beat me here…I will not only let you and Seishin continue on, but I will train you in fighting any challenges that come our way. If I win…Seishin and yourself, and your sensei as well, will go to the ninth circle of Hell and suffer for eternity."

Naruto paused at her challenge.

If he won, he would have both Seishin and Miyuki by his side and also get the training needed to fight the Shinigami.

But a small part of him feared.

What if he lost?

What if he accepted this challenge and lost?

He would be letting down two people now…And they would undeservedly go with him to Hell.

But if he denied the challenge, they all would go to Hell anyways.

"Naruto-san…It's ok," Seishin's voice suddenly said, taking Naruto from out of his thoughts. "I knew the risks when I decided to help you."

"But you do not deserve it…I got you into this…I will get you out," Naruto responded before he said "Miyuki-san! I accept your challenge!"

Seishin gasped at his words.

"Naruto! You don't know what you are saying!" Seishin shouted.

"I know exactly what I am saying," Naruto replied without looking back at her. "I forced you to help me…And because of that, I caused your soul to be damned as well as Iruka-sensei's. Even if I don't accept her challenge, you'll be sent to Hell regardless…If I have the ability to stop that and defeat her and anyone to save both you and Iruka-sensei…Then that is what I will do!"

"You don't know who you are facing! Miyuki is one of Shinigami-sama's royal guards! No one can defeat them!"

Naruto turned his head and gave a smirk, his eyes shining in determination, and that along caused Seishin to pause.

Seishin truly hoped that Naruto would not accept the challenge.

She knew her fate the moment she agreed to help him and knew that Hell awaited her for disobeying the Shinigami and didn't want to see Naruto lose to Miyuki and then see his determination shatter and scatter to the winds.

But if she was honest with herself, she didn't want to hope that he could pull it off and defeat Miyuki.

 _'But what if he did?'_ Her nagging thoughts asked her as she watched the blond haired shinobi stand before her as if he was her protector…

And in the case, he was.

"Seishin-chan…Trust me…I'll win no matter what the cost," Naruto told her with determination shining in his eyes, which made Seishin lower her gaze.

"Very good Uzumaki Naruto!" Miyuki stated before she created an ice lance into her hands and spun it twice before slamming the bottom of the lance to the white ground beneath her.

"For what it is worth…I believe it is very honorable for you to want to fight for your friend but to overthrow Shinigami-sama's rule and to damn another soul all over the soul of your friend is truly a Hell worthy offense," Miyuki stated to the blond hair shinobi-wannabe with a sad smile.

Naruto shook his head and shouted "You can send me to hell all you like…I deserve it…But I will not stand by and let Seishin-san or Iruka-sensei be sent to hell because of my actions! So if I have to fight and beat you to continue forward, I will!"

Seishin's eyes widened at this and went to stop Naruto but the blond quickly launched himself towards Miyuki.

Miyuki stood rooted in her spot as Naruto came forward and the moment Naruto got close enough, Naruto launched a sloppy right hook but Miyuki ducked the hook and slammed the rod of the lance into Naruto's gut, knocking the air out of the youth.

Naruto shot away from Miyuki and rolled twice on the ground before he got back on his feet but before he ran forward, Miyuki tossed him what looked like a white colored kunai pouch as she softly said "I am nothing but fair, Uzumaki Naruto…If I am to send you to Hell, I want you to have a fighting chance."

Naruto caught the bag and tied it around his leg and said "Thank you," before he said "Now let's keep going!" Naruto quickly pulled out two kunai, which was also colored silver-white, and tossed two kunai at Miyuki, who blocked the two kunai before she lifted her lance and launched it towards Naruto.

Naruto saw the lance coming and flipped over the lance but grabbed it by the rod before he landed on the ground and threw it back at her with all his might before he ran towards her.

Miyuki summoned another lance and slapped her first lance into the air to deflect it from her but it was then that she saw the bottom of Naruto's sandals moments before she was dropped kicked in the face.

Miyuki soared back from the drop kick but she swiftly slammed the bottom of her lance in the ground, immediately stopping her flight before swung her body and landed a hard kick to the oncoming Naruto's chest.

Naruto slammed to the ground before he rolled off his back and on his feet and just as he did, the first lance that was launched into the air, slammed down on the crown of his head fairly hard, which dazed Naruto enough for him to fall backwards on the ground.

"How can you battle Shinigami-sama when you can barely hold your own against me?" Miyuki asked with a serene tone in her voice as Naruto's eyes became black swirls, signifying his dazed state.

Naruto's eyes returned to normal at her words and quickly flipped to his feet just to fall back on the ground when he saw the steel of Miyuki's lance terrifyingly close to impaling his head.

Naruto rolled to his left to avoid the rod of the lance from smashing into his body and quickly flipped to his feet before he leapt up, wrapped his right arm around her neck before forcing the weight of his body backwards enough so hers fell forward, causing the crown of her head to slam against the ground.

Naruto quickly dislodged his arm from around her before he rolled backwards but he fell to one knee as pain in the left side of his abdomen immediately blossomed.

When Naruto glanced down, he saw an ice kunai sticking from out of his body but it immediately melted away, revealing his wound.

He then heard Miyuki chuckle, which caused his head to snap up to glance at her. "My statement stills stands," Miyuki stated calmly.

Naruto stood up from his kneeled position and said "As does mine. No matter what it takes…I will fight and defeat the Shinigami to save Iruka-sensei and Seishin's soul!" Naruto then made the hand seal that he had learned in the forest and shouted "Time to get serious! Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

With an explosion of smoke, thirty clones of Naruto appeared around him. Miyuki smiled at this and readied her lance once more for the next phase of the battle.

* * *

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato_**

 ** _Team Ino-Shiko-Cho Original_**

"Kami…" Chōza muttered as he, Shikaku and Inoichi stood before the sight that had graced their presence.

The sight they were seeing was a shirtless Uzumaki Naruto, hanging from a tree by five thick chains that was tied around his wrists, his ankles and finally his neck.

And on his chest, written in blood was "The Clone has Died" on it while three kunai was embedded in his chest.

"We need to get him down…" Inoichi said softly but Chōza and Shikaku could see the barely held back anger that was on his face. Chōza and Shikaku quickly ran up the tree where Naruto's hanging body was and quickly cut the chains down.

Just as Naruto's body was going to fall, Shikaku caught Naruto's body with his left arm before he and Chōza slide down the tree then landed on the ground. As Shikaku gingerly placed Naruto on the ground, Inoichi muttered "Kami…Who could have done this to him? He's a child for fucks sake…Not even a shinobi yet…"

"Our kids went to the Shinobi Academy with him…He didn't deserve this…" Chōza said with saddened tone in his voice.

Shikaku was silent as he stared down at Naruto's body and that's when he saw it.

A small flicker of crimson chakra.

 _'What was that?'_ Shikaku thought to himself before his eyes widened in surprise.

It was very faint but he saw that Naruto's chest had moved. Shikaku placed his right index and middle finger against Naruto's neck and felt it.

There was a very faint pulse…

He was still alive!

"He's still alive…" Shikaku breathed out before he lifted Naruto of the ground and shouted "We need to get him to the hospital! He's still alive!"

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end this chapter for now. The next chapter will continue the arc so until then…

Mario: See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so far and its only going to get better. Let's continue with the "Journey of the Departed" Arc!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

 ** _Chapter Four_**

"Time to get serious! Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

With an explosion of smoke, thirty clones of Naruto appeared around him. Miyuki smiled at this and readied her lance once more for the next phase of the battle.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and thought _'Time to kick her ass!'_ before he then smirked and shouted "Clones! Take her down!"

"Yes Boss!" The clones shouted before they launched themselves at Miyuki, each of them yelling in excitement.

Naruto looked on as three of the clones were instantly taken out by the several ice shards that had been formed by Miyuki before the whip morphed into a trident which was then thrown at three more clones, which struck them in the chest.

He then watched Miyuki leap on the end of the trident and waved both hands, causing ice shards to be created from the wind and pierced through the remaining clones, dispersing them.

Naruto summoned ten more clones and said to them "Attack from the air," before he dashed forward as well.

The ten clones leapt up into the air and landed on the trees before leaping down towards Miyuki while Naruto himself was charging straight at her.

The ice trident beneath Miyuki's feet shattered into a million pieces before they flew around Miyuki's form where the pieces began to condense before exploding outwards, destroying the clones above her while also forcing Naruto to shield himself and wincing in pain as the small shards pierced through his skin.

But Naruto continued to dash towards her until he leapt up and aimed a kick at her head. Miyuki however quickly dashed backwards to avoid the kick and created an ice staff and slammed the staff against Naruto's stomach hard, knocking the air from his lungs.

She then whipped the staff back and slammed the staff against the back of his neck and shoulders, sending him to crashing to the ground.

"You aren't trying hard enough," Naruto heard Miyuki state to him as her foot slammed into his back hard.

"Please just give up and go peacefully before I destroy you," She told him but despite how calm and comforting her voice sounded, he could hear just a faint hint of arrogance and felt himself scowl at this.

Naruto suddenly grabbed the foot that was on the ground and pulled it hard, causing her to fall to the ground and that was when Naruto leapt up and aimed a fist at her face but just as his fist was going to hit her, he was sent flying into the air by a cylinder of ice that was made between him and Miyuki.

Naruto twisted his body as he fell back to the air and summoned a single clone, who quickly grabbed Naruto and launched him into the tree before dispersing, causing Naruto to slam into the snow covered tree back first where he then fell from branch to branch until he slammed into the ground face first.

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Seishin_**

Seishin was worried.

She had every right to be of course.

Right now, this newly made spirit known as Uzumaki Naruto was facing a member of the Royal Guard and he was losing against her.

No matter what he tried to do, Miyuki was leagues above him and it all just fell flat. As determined as Uzumaki Naruto was, he could not defeat Miyuki as he was right now and she knew it.

 _'I should have talked him out of this battle…I should've forced him to accept her offer without a fight and now because I was too weak in fighting him…He's going to lose it all…'_ Seishin thought with a helpless tone as she watched Miyuki stand across from the downed Naruto.

Naruto was right before.

Whether he fought or not, the two of them were going to hell along with his sensei but if she said had forced him to accept Miyuki's offer, she wouldn't have to watch Naruto's determination be crushed with every brutal blow that was dealt to him.

He had made such a passionate speech to how he was going to save her and Iruka and it was going to break her heart to see such a determined soul broken as the three of them went to hell but what more could he do?

He was losing and there was nothing else that he could give.

And that was when she saw it.

Despite him being on the ground, she could see that smile on his face. It was the very same smile that had did her in when he convinced her to help him overthrow the Shinigami's judgment.

That smile that was on his face told her that he believed in himself and his abilities but most of all, he believed everything that he was saying.

He was going to defeat her.

He was going to get to the Shinigami,

And most of all, he was going to keep Seishin and Iruka out of hell.

And it would be that same smile that the blond was going to have on his face when he fulfilled his promise.

As much as she wanted to put her faith into him, she couldn't afford to hope.

Not now.

All she could think was _'Please prove me wrong Naruto-san…'_

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Uzumaki Naruto VS Miyuki_**

Naruto pushed himself to his feet and spat the small amount of blood that was gathering in his mouth to the ground and said to her with a grin "You know…You're like the last bit of slippery noodles in my ramen broth. Hard to catch."

"Did you think I would make this easy for you?" Miyuki asked softly but Naruto could see the amusement in her eyes, possibly due to his analogy the he made for her.

Naruto smirked at her and shouted "Of course not…That's just making it all the sweeter when I do catch you!"

Making that familiar hand sign, Naruto shouted "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Eight clones appeared in front of Naruto before they all charged towards Miyuki as each of them shouted in semi-unison.

Naruto watched as Miyuki created two ice spears and twirled them in her hands before she took a step forward and smacked the head of two clones with the sharp edge of the spear before launching the two spears into the chest of two clones, which caused the clone to disperse into smoke but the spears continued to fly towards the real Naruto.

Naruto ducked the spears, just as before it pierced his skull and tugged it out the tree behind him before summoned several more clones and sent them to attack her but he kept his eyes on her.

 _'Alright…I need to stop attacking and start working on a plan. Her ice abilities are pretty top notch and she has a good distance game so I can't get close at all…'_ Naruto thought to himself as Miyuki's lance pierced through the chest of a clone before she twisted her body and sliced through the head of two more clones that had tried to sneak up on her.

He then watched her pivot her body to avoid the fist that came from in front of her and quickly stabbed his head with an ice kunai that she created before she tossed her ice made lance towards two clones and the minute the two clones caught it, she created two ice swords and stabbed them both in the head before she grabbed the lance once more.

And that was when the ground burst from beneath the snow behind her with his knee aimed at the back of her head.

Naruto watched Miyuki twirl the spear in her direction and thrust it backwards over right shoulder to stab the clone in the neck before his knee came close to touching her but that was when Naruto saw it.

It was brief but the look in her eyes was panic.

 _'That's it!'_ Naruto noted before he summoned fifty-one clones and took the two ice spears and handed one to two clones but to one of the clones with the spear, he grinned. "Stay put until I say so," Naruto told the clone, who nodded in response.

It was then he gathered all of his clones around and told them of his plans and when he was finished, he looked at his thirty clones and said "It's time for the comeback now go get it!" Naruto motioned for ten of his clones to rush ahead towards Miyuki.

Just as the clones got before her, Naruto and his other clones pulled out kunai and threw them towards the clones, causing them to disperse into a thick layer of smoke in front of her. Naruto then turned to the two clones beside him and nodded.

Naruto and the remaining clones charged through the smoke as well and came roaring out of the smoke towards Miyuki.

As Naruto ran, three of his clones leapt into the air and threw several kunai and Miyuki, who twirled her lance to deflect the kunai before she leapt forward and threw her weapon and pierced through a clone's neck that had been running beside Naruto before she landed and slashed her weapon down at the real Naruto.

Naruto blocked the slash of the lance with his kunai and aimed another kunai at her stomach but she grabbed his wrist with her free hand and kicked his right knee, when caused him to kneel but she quickly kicked him in the face to make him roll backwards before she dashed backwards as well to avoid three clones landing on her.

Miyuki skidded to a stop and dispersed her lance into shards of ice before she launched them towards the three clones coming towards her, which caused them to disperse as well, however when they did, ten more flew from the smoke towards her.

Miyuki narrowed her eyes as rush of cold wind wrapped around her before it began to take the shape of ice shards. Miyuki then pointed at the oncoming clones and the shards quickly flew towards the clones and destroyed them.

Several more clones came through the smoke of their brethren and leapt into the air and launched dozens of kunai towards her but Miyuki quickly formed a shield of ice to block the rain of kunai before she set the shield of ice towards the air born clone army.

But as she did this, the clone appeared before her with her ice spear pointed straight at her head, much to her surprise but she caused the ice spear to explode in the clone's hand before she took a shard from it and slammed it right between the eyes of the clone, causing it to disperse.

But through the smoke of the fallen clone, Naruto's fist came out of it and landed a brutal jab to her shocked face. Miyuki flew off of her feet and high into the air where she then slammed to the ground hard.

"Wow," Naruto said as he shook his right hand with a wince. "It's like punching a wall," Naruto then looked at Miyuki, who was lifting her body off the ground with a stunned expression on her face, blue blood falling from the corner of her lips.

"Heh, you look as if you're going to pass out," Naruto noted with a grin as he pointed his right fist at her. "No wonder you try to keep me at a distance!" Naruto said with a grin on his face. "You can't take a punch!"

Miyuki lifted her hand and wiped the blood from her mouth, Miyuki looked at her hand and suddenly, Naruto could feel the air chill even further but Naruto couldn't stop himself and said "In the end, like a slippery noodle, you were caught."

Miyuki stood up from the ground and laughed softly before she said "Are you done studying me now? If so, I would like to finish this battle." but despite her serene tone, Naruto could see the flickering rage within her eyes.

Naruto was unnerved by this.

 _'I think this has just gotten harder…No matter! Now that I know that she can't take a punch, I can actually defeat her. And I have just the plan to do so!'_ Naruto thought with a grin before he summoned fifty clones by his side before he vocally said "Of course. I gotta meet the Shinigami and you're wasting my time."

Naruto quickly summoned three more clones before the four dashed towards Miyuki, who quickly summoned an ice spear and lance before she launched the spear towards Naruto himself.

Naruto grabbed a discarded kunai from the ground and deflected the spear in the air, where another clone flipped up and caught the spear before the clone landed on the ground and dashed towards Miyuki.

The clone lunged the lance towards the Royal guard but the woman quickly blocked the spear with her lance before she twisted her body to the left, so her back was pressed against the rod of spear, and stabbed her lance through the neck of the clone.

The moment the clone dispersed however, Naruto and another clone appeared from the smoke from their fallen brother and nailed her face with their knees, which caused her head to whip back as her feet separated from the ground.

As Naruto and the clone landed on the ground, Naruto summoned another clone and shouted "Go!" before the two clones dashed beside Miyuki's soaring body and placed their hands on her face and forced her head to slam into the ground hard.

The two clones then leapt into the air and slammed their elbows into her chest, causing her entire body to dig itself further into the snow covered ground but the moment it did, her body exploded into ice, causing shards of ice to pierce through the bodies of his clones.

The crystal clear ice then began to mist over until it was completely white and with an explosion, Miyuki stood in the remains of the impromptu crystal explosion while the remains of the crystal floated around her.

"It's time to end this game," Miyuki said ominously as she lifted her right arm and as she did so, the large shards of ice flew began to splinter into a million smaller ones. "Now die…" Miyuki said as she pointed at Naruto directly and the millions of shards came darting down towards Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly summoned fifty clones and had them shield him from the ice storm.

Naruto could hear his clones exploded from the amount of shards that were hitting his walls of clones and realized that it was now time for his plan to come to completion but the time of it was running out.

Naruto quickly turned his head towards the clone that was holding the spear and shouted "Now!" the clone dashed towards Naruto and when he stopped, the clone morphed into a replica of the spear.

Naruto summoned ten more clones before he caught the two spears and ordered five of them to change into the spear as well. Five of the clones quickly changed into spears, which fell to the ground.

Naruto picked up the five replica spears and looked to the last five and said "Toss me high!" The clones nodded and launched Naruto high into the air above Miyuki's attack and shouted "Take this!" Before launching all of the spears towards her.

Miyuki looked up and saw the spears and quickly lifted her right arm to shatter the spears but despite the first one near her shattered, the rest of them kept coming, much to her shock.

Naruto grinned and shouted "This is it! Bushin Bakuha: Eikoudan (Exploding clone Technique: Flash bomb)!" The five spears quickly dispersed into a flash of blinding light, which caused Miyuki to shield her eyes from the intense light.

Naruto summoned two clones who threw him towards Miyuki at top speed and with a shout, Naruto cocked his left hand back as he shouted "This is the end!"

Miyuki saw him through the intense light and quickly summoned an ice spear and lunged it forward, piercing Naruto through his left side but despite the pain, Naruto's fist slammed into her face so hard, Naruto could almost see her face ripple from the blow.

The spear that had pierced Naruto's side melted immediately and Naruto's weight fell forward onto Miyuki's form and the two slammed to the ground beneath them hard but Naruto rolled off of her immediately and closed his eyes with a grin on his face before he started to laugh.

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Seishin_**

Shock.

That was the feeling Seishin was feeling as she heard Naruto's laughter from the distance.

There was no way…There was no way that Naruto had done it…It wasn't possible…Did he truly do what she saw him do?

Did he just defeat the Royal Guard Miyuki?

She didn't want to believe it but as she watched him lean up off the ground and shout "I did it!" she found herself smiling widely.

He had done it!

Seishin quickly ran towards Naruto, who was now standing up and quickly leapt to him with her arms open and tackled him back to the ground with a scream of "You did it!"

Naruto fell back to the ground with a laugh as she hugged him tightly and she heard him say "Did you doubt me?"

Seishin leaned up to look at him and said "For a while, yeah."

Naruto nodded with an understanding grin on his face and replied "Yeah…I kinda understand why. This was a tough one!"

It was then, the two heard a chuckle come from beside them and that was when Miyuki leaned up as well and said "Amazing…To think that a Ningen could truly defeat me like this…It's annoying."

Seishin looked towards Naruto before looking back at Miyuki and said "I know…It was strange to watch as well."

Naruto grinned and said "I'm sorry I had to hit you so many times. I hate hitting girls. It's not right to me."

"It's not right going up against the Shinigami but you are doing it," Miyuki stated, which caused Seishin to frown.

"He's trying to save his friend!" Seishin argued.

"And you as well," Naruto added, something that made Seishin look down at the ground and nodded in agreement.

"And that is honorable…" Miyuki stated swiftly. "But do you, Uzumaki Naruto, think that it's over now? That beating me means you go straight to the Shinigami because it won't be…There five more of the Royal Guard left and despite beating me, you have a long way to go."

Seishin watched as Naruto nodded in agreement and reply "Yeah…I know."

Seishin watched as Miyuki stood up from the ground and dusted herself off before she said "Then let's get to it. I promised you that I would train you from here on out if you beat me and I am a woman of my word."

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara_**

 ** _Shinigami's Throne Room_**

Walking down the hall, a tan skinned, pink haired woman with glowing pink eyes along with a pink and silver kimono was seen walking down the long corridor of the dark throne room, the only light source of the chamber being the emerald flames that were in the torches that lined the walls.

The woman kneeled before the throne of the Shinigami and looked at the shadow that covered the throne, only seeing the white eyes of her master and said "Uzumaki Naruto has defeated Miyuki of the Ice."

The woman then lowered her head as the deep voice of the Shinigami said **"Is that so Houka? Good…Send Tsubasa as his next opponent…If he could defeat her distance fighting, there is no way he can conquer a close battle with him."**

"Understood Shinigami-sama," Houka replied before she stood up and quickly ran down the corridor to fetch the next Royal Guard member, leaving the Shinigami alone in his chamber.

The glowing eyes of the Shinigami looked at the cage where the unconscious Umino Iruka slept and said **"It seems that my hunch was correct…Good…Let's see how far you come for him…Uzumaki Naruto."**

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end this chapter. So Naruto managed to defeat Miyuki but now has this Tsubasa coming after him. How will Naruto handle Miyuki's training and what about the Shinigami's plan? What will come of it? Only one way to find out!

Mario: See you next time!


	5. Chapter 5

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the "Otherworld" Arc of this fic. For those that questioned how will this effect Naruto in the real world, this is your chapter. So sit back and enjoy!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_**

 ** _Chapter Five_**

Devastated.

That was the only word to sum up how Anko was feeling at this very moment as she gazed down at the plate of dango and ramen that sat in front of her, with all of her friends surrounding her in support.

Just two days ago around this time, she was consoling Iruka as he confided in her his true feelings over having to fail their surrogate little brother, Uzumaki Naruto and now he was gone.

And meanwhile, Naruto was fighting for his life in the hospital after the grievous injuries that he had sustained himself.

What many people believed was that she would hate Naruto for what he had done but she didn't. Hell, she was proud of him for being able to steal the scroll from the Hokage's office and had everything turned out great, she would have rewarded him.

He had grown to being her little brother and she cared for him a lot. Not only because of their shared hobbies like gardening, pranking and making fun of people in the village but because he was the reason that she and Iruka had met in the first place.

But now that was all ruined. Because of that horrible being known as Mizuki, Iruka and Naruto were gone…Snatched from her grasp like everyone else in her life had been. Her parents, her childhood…her past…her future…

Why was she the only one to suffer like this?

Why did she constantly lose people that she cared for?

"Thanks guys but I'm not hungry…" Anko whispered while lightly pushing away her plate of Dango, Ramen and sake, causing Kurenai to frown up at Asuma, Gai and Kakashi.

Anko was so empty…so lost…and her expression showed it.

"Anko-san, I know you are upset about what happened to Iruka and Naruto. Iruka was a good man and Naruto was an awesome kid but things will get better, I'm sure of it," Asuma said while staring her in the eyes but she merely let out a hollow chuckle.

"Sarutobi Asuma… You have the hottest Kunoichi in Kure-chan as your beloved and your father, the Sandaime Hokage trained you, Along with the twelve guardians and I hear that the Hokage may give you the Ino-Shika-Cho team that's in the academy this year which is a high prestige. You have had ever advantage this world can offer and none of us can deny that," Anko began while shutting her eyes, causing the shinobi in question to look at her wearily while the remaining three shinobi before here were silent.

"So I want you to take all of that into consideration and realize that with all that you have, you're sitting here, telling someone who doesn't have a family, who had to scratch and claw their way to their position with all that they have, enduring sacrifice upon sacrifice to even get this far…"

"W-Well," Asuma started but from the intense glare that Anko had gave him caused him to shut his mouth immediately.

"Tell me Asuma, are you the one sitting here without anyone to love or to be loved? Are you sitting here with a seal that said traitorous sensei put on you that causes you nightmares and sends you into intense spasms at the drop of a hat? Are **you** sitting here knowing that once again, any happiness you fought so hard to gain was snatched away from you?!"

Anko felt hot tears fall from her eyes as she finished her shout, trying to will herself to calm down but that had failed. All she could do is take a shaky breath before she said "You telling me that things will be ok is you basically spitting in my face."

Kurenai frowned at her friend while Asuma took a harsh breath.

While Kurenai wanted to stick up for the man she loved, she knew that Anko did have a point.

Anko had lost so much in her life compared to her love and for someone as well off as him telling her that it'll be ok was a little insulting and sadly, Asuma agreed with her as well and even went to apologize but Anko said "Save your apology…I don't want to hear it, golden boy."

"I know you're angry Anko-san but you don't need to take things out on Asuma. He's here to help, just like the rest of us," Gai said with a rather un-youthful frown on his face, causing Anko to sigh heavily.

Gai was right.

She was taking out her frustrations on Asuma, who was a pretty great guy and she did truly feel bad for lashing out at him like she did but at the same time, she did not want someone who was pretty well off trying to pity her with those flowery words.

But regardless, he was there to help, just like Kurenai, Kakashi and Gai and she didn't want to hurt him like that when he was there to help so with another small sigh, Anko said "You're right Gai…Asuma, I'm sorry for lashing out…I'm just too…I just need some time alone."

"Just know that we are here for you Anko. You just need to call," Kakashi said as he patted her shoulder before the four of them left the restaurant. Anko looked back down at the food she had pushed away and placed money on the table to cover it before she left the restaurant.

She just needed to be alone…But at the same time, where could she go? There was no way in hell that she would go back home.

The home that she and Iruka were supposed to share.

The home that held their rather horrid tastes.

The home that held their laughs, their tears, their arguments and their love…

She couldn't go back there.

Because if she did, she would need to look at all of this and try very hard to not take her own life…

But there was one place she could go.

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara  
_** ** _Miyuki's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto_**

"Amazing…To think that a Ningen could truly defeat me like this…It's annoying," the serene voice of Miyuki stated as she sat up next to Naruto and the standing Seishin, which caused them both to look at her.

Naruto had done the impossible and defeated the Royal Guard of the Shinigami and he was currently floating on air…Or he would be if he wasn't hurting from the wound in his side.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Seishin look towards him before she looked back at Miyuki and replied "I know…It was strange to watch as well."

Naruto grinned a bit before his facial expression showed remorse. "I'm sorry I had to hit you so many times. I hate hitting girls. It's not right to me," Naruto apologized with a small bow of his head.

He could see Miyuki smile in approval of his apology before her expression turned serious. "It's not right going up against the Shinigami but you are doing it," Miyuki stated, which caused both Naruto and Seishin to frown.

"He's trying to save his friend!" Seishin argued.

"And you as well," Naruto added, something that made Seishin look down at the ground and nod in agreement.

"And that is honorable…" Miyuki responded swiftly. "But do you, Uzumaki Naruto, think that it's over now? That beating me means you go straight to the Shinigami because it won't be…There five more of the Royal Guard left and despite beating me, you have a long way to go."

Naruto nodded in agreement and reply "Yeah…I know but Iruka-sensei's afterlife hangs in the balance, along with Seishin-chan all because of my foolishness. I will save them no matter what the cost to my own being."

Miyuki stood up from the ground and dusted herself off before she said "Then let's get to it. I promised you that I would train you from here on out if you beat me and I am a woman of my word." Miyuki then held out her right hand and said "Shake my hand and I will take you as my student."

Naruto thumbed his nose at this with a wide grin as he said "No problem Miyuki-sensei!" and clasped his hand with hers but the moment he did, Miyuki gripped his hand fairly hard.

"Good…Now to seal the deal," Miyuki whispered as pure white orb, which had white wisps of energy floating from it, appeared in her left hand and without any warning, she plunged it into Naruto's chest.

Seishin's eyes grew several sizes when she saw Miyuki plunge the orb into Naruto's chest but Miyuki merely smiled at the stunned Uzumaki's expression.

Naruto suddenly felt this strange feeling blossoming in his body as he stared into the soft eyes of his sensei, who instantly said "Embrace the ice Knife, Uzumaki Naruto…and then our lesson can truly begin."

With his face still in shock, Naruto took several steps away from Miyuki. "I feel…Cold…" Naruto managed to wheeze out in a faint whisper before he fell backwards hard.

"Naruto!" Seishin shouted in anger as she rushed towards Naruto's fallen form and kneeled beside him and started to shake his body as she said "Naruto, Naruto…Wake up!" Seishin then turned to Miyuki and shouted "What did you do?!" before she turned back to Naruto to continue to shake him.

Miyuki didn't answer Seishin's panicked questions and instead summoned an ice chair and sat down and thought back to what she and the Shinigami had discussed previously.

* * *

 ** _Flashback  
_** ** _Tamashii Nohara  
_** ** _Shinigami's Throne Room_**

 _"It seems that the Ningen, Uzumaki Naruto has officially made it to Tamashii Nohara, Shinigami-sama," Miyuki reported to her master as she kneeled before him, her eyes shut as to make sure she did not gaze at his form for any reason._

 _The Shinigami hummed in response and said **"Good…I was uncertain if his time was going to come but thankfully, it has…Has Seishin met with him?"**_

 _Miyuki nodded, her eyes still closed to avoid looking at him and replied softly "And as you predicted, she is now assisting him to lead him to you."_

 _Miyuki heard the Shinigami laugh softly at this and respond **"That is excellent news. I was very concerned that she would do what she was told but of course, as with every Uzumaki, they are able to charm almost anyone."**_

 _"You expected her to bend to his will. Shinigami-sama?" Miyuki asked in surprise._

 ** _"I did. The Uzumaki have a natural charm that many others bend to. It's like their hidden gift,"_** _The Shinigami replied with another soft chuckle before his voice became serious. **"Now is the time. I want you to intercept them and fight with him. Test his abilities and his resolve."**_

 _Miyuki then lifted her head when she heard the faint humming of very familiar spiritual energy floating above her head. When she looked up, she saw a pure white orb hovering inches above her face. **"If he manages to defeat you...I want you to train him and…"**_

 _Miyuki grabbed the orb and stared at it for a moment before her eyes widened in shock, finally realizing why the spiritual energy was so familiar to her. "Shinigami-sama…Is this?"_

 ** _"It is Miyuki,"_** _The Shinigami replied softly. **"If he manages to defeat you, I want you insert this into his chest."**_

 _Miyuki then allowed herself to look at the Shinigami directly and asked him "Then he is the next..."_

 _The Shinigami chuckled and said **"If he succeeds in defeating all of the Royal Guard manages to pass my ultimate test, I believe I have found my next champion."**_

 _Miyuki absorbed the orb and then said "Then I will make sure he is up to task in becoming your champion."_

* * *

 ** _End Flashback  
_** ** _Tamashii Nohara  
_** ** _Miyuki's Domain_**

Miyuki chuckled and glanced at Seishin, who was glaring at her with such ferocity, it surprised her. Seishin was usually meek but she looked as if she was going to bite off her head. "Do not glare at me with so much hostility, Seishin. He will be fine. I was just following the orders of the Shinigami."

Seishin's gaze softened as she looked down at Naruto's unconscious face but didn't reply to this. Miyuki stood up while dismissing her ice chair and walked towards Seishin and the unconscious Naruto and said "We must move on. The more we sit here, the less chance he has."

"Why? Aren't you supposed to train him?" Seishin asked as she adjusted her arms to have Naruto resting on them before she stood up to face Miyuki.

"Yes. But for his next battle, he will need to be in his domain so I need to train him to counter his next opponent," Miyuki explained as she began to walk, which caused Seishin to follow her.

"But who is his next challenger?" Seishin asked in concern.

Miyuki remained silent due to the rumbling of thunder being heard in the distance, which caused Seishin to frown in concern.

* * *

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato  
Yondaime General Hospital  
Mitarashi Anko_**

"He's right in here Anko-san," The nurse stated as she opened the door to reveal to Anko the sight she also didn't want to see.

Covered from head to toe in bandages (on the exception of his face) was the gaki that she called little brother. The very same gaki that just a day before had gave her a big hug and said _"When I come back, I'm going to be wearing a Hiate-Ite just like you Anko-Nee!"_

And now he was fighting for his life.

Anko walked into the room and grabbed the chair that was situated next to the round table and sat it next to his bed before she sat down on it. "Hey Gaki…" Anko started softly, imagining the cute pout that Naruto normal gave her when she called him that.

"I came to check in on you, considering all that happened…Y-You know, I kinda expected you to be awake and fighting with the nurse as you always do when you are here," Anko responded with a small laugh, her eyes glancing at the pale face of her little brother.

She leaned forward and brushed a stray blond hair from his face and said "I just came here to tell you that things haven't been going so well without you. The cursed seal on my neck has been causing more spasms to hit me along with more pain. Only problem is, I don't have any of your pranks or hugs to cheer me up…"

Anko took a shaky breath and said "Then again, I don't really have anyone that can cheer me up right now…You and Iruka-kun…The two of you were really the only people that could change my frown into a smile…The others are trying but they aren't you or Iruka-kun…"

Tears started to fall from Anko's eyes as the image of Naruto began to blur.

"I-I just don't know what to do…You and Iruka-kun have been with me for so long…You two became my center. My drive…It was because of you two that I became a Tokubetsu Jōnin…I'm already devastated without Iruka-kun…If you die too I…I couldn't take living in this world…"

Anko grabbed Naruto's hand and gripped it tightly as she sobbed out "So please wake up! Please don't die on me as well! I lost Iruka, I can't lose you too!"

Just then, Anko felt it.

Chakra…

But it was coming from Naruto's unconscious body but it wasn't the normal blue chakra that they all have.

It was pure white…And it was swirling from Naruto's body and into the air. That's when Anko shivered from the light cold air that seemed to suddenly come out of nowhere, the same time as the white chakra began to pour from Naruto.

Anko's head then whipped to Naruto's heart monitor when she heard it start to beat at a high speed and at the same time, Naruto began to toss and turn on the bed, sweat pouring from his face as he began to groan in pain.

Anko quickly got up from her chair with a shout of "Naruto!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and let out a loud scream of agonizing pain as the white chakra exploded from his body in waves, which caused Anko to skid backwards from the force of the chakra.

 _'What the hell is going on?!'_ Anko screamed inwardly as the air around her began to get colder until she saw her own breath.

Why in the hell did it get so cold in here?!

Was it due to the chakra?

"Just hang on Gaki! I'll get some help!" Anko screamed over the yells of the unconscious Naruto before she rushed out of the room to get help from him.

She couldn't lose him too.

She just couldn't!

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara  
_** ** _Chamber of the Royal Guard_**

"Eh?! How can you turn down Shinigami-sama's request?!" Houka exclaimed in shock and horror as her eyes stared at the person before here.

The person Houka was a young man with spiky wavy brown hair that barely covered his glowing yellow eyes and the "X" scar on his cheek along with yellow headband that was barely visible due to the hair and on his body was a yellow colored samurai armor that had yellow cape attached to the shoulder pads.

"It's simple Houka-chan. A simple Ningen like him can't possible stand against me," The person responded as he placed his sheathed katana on his shoulder.

"B-But Tsubasa, he managed to defeat Miyuki-Sempai in combat. Something that you honestly couldn't do," Houka responded truthfully, which made Tsubasa's eyebrow twitch at that little fact.

But then the annoyed face of Tsubasa's changed into a thoughtful one. Whoever defeated Miyuki must have been a strong opponent for her to lose to…But still, he did not want to bother with that at all.

He'd rather just ignore the order and continue to watch the clouds float by…

"Ah! So he managed to defeat Miyuki-chan? That is something amazing," A booming voice replied, which caused Tsubasa and Houka to look at the newcomer.

The newcomer was a middle aged man with long black hair which was tied in a ponytail, a long, jagged scar that went straight down his right eye which was covered in a green cloth, his single left glowing green eye and he was wearing simple green hakama.

"Then why don't you take up my order from Shinigami-sama then Makito?" Tsubasa asked with a bored expression on his face.

Makito merely chuckled and said "You must obey his orders baby brother, even if you don't like them. I thought we all learned this after the last time…"

Tsubasa paled at Makito's words and muttered "You're right…As always…Damn it. I suppose I really don't have a choice."

Houka giggled and said "Got that right. And who knows, maybe you'll do what Miyuki-Sempai didn't and defeat the Ningen."

Tsubasa chuckled as he made his way to the exit of the room, thinking _'Yes…Wouldn't that be something…'_

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end this chapter. So we learned a few more things about Naruto. The next chapter will deal with quite a few things so until then…

Mario: See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Rain: Hello all, I am back with a brand new chapter of **_Reaper's Blood: Final Mix_** and I thank you guys so much for your patience with me. It takes a lot of thinking when it comes to where I want the story to go. This chapter will be Naruto's training with Miyuki so sit back, relax and enjoy!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Six_**

Freezing cold Air.

That was the first thing Naruto felt rushing against his face as he slowly came to after suddenly falling unconscious. Naruto clenched his eyes tighter before he opened them and just as he did, the calm voice of Miyuki's said "You're finally awake," which helped clear through some of the fog that was within his head.

Naruto shook his head and murmured "Where are we?" his body still weak from the intense cold agony that his body had gone through what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"We are currently riding on Miyuki-sama's summon," Seishin said, which caused Naruto to blink in confusion until he looked down and saw that he was currently laying on the back of a large white tiger, with glowing icy blue eyes.

"What the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, causing Miyuki to chuckle softly, which had Naruto blush out of embarrassment.

"Be nice to Yuki," Miyuki commanded softly as she petted the large tiger on the top of her head and added "Because she will be a great ally to you when its time."

"My ally?" Naruto asked but Miyuki didn't respond to his question. Instead, Miyuki patted the head of the tiger, which caused it to skid to a stop. Above his head, Naruto could see the dark clouds with streaks of yellow lightning appearing every few seconds but the ground still had pure white snow covering it.

Miyuki floated off the tiger and motioned for Naruto and Seishin to follow. Both Naruto and Seishin leapt off the tiger and onto the ground and the minute it did, the tiger formed into snow and the snow blew away.

"It's time for training," Miyuki explained. "I choose this spot because it's close to my foolish underling, Tsubasa's location…He will be your next opponent."

"So, I'm going to assume by the lightning streaking that his element is lightning based?" Naruto asked Miyuki, who smiled in approval at his guess.

"You'd be correct. He is primarily a closed range fighter and each attack of his electrocutes you upon his touch."

Naruto nodded with a frown on his face.

He was primarily a closed range fighter as well so this wouldn't bode well for him at all.

Miyuki, noticing the frown on his face, said "Do not be concerned with this. I will teach you how to defeat him. But first…" Miyuki summoned an Ice Trident with her hand and pointed it at Naruto's face.

"I need you to awaken the gift I gave you," Miyuki finished with narrowed eyes, focusing solely on Naruto.

"Gift?" Naruto repeated with a tilt of his head. "What gift?" Naruto immediately got his answer when chest began to ache. Naruto staggered backwards and clutched the spot above his heart, where the pain was coming from, and fell to one knee as the pain continued to grow.

Naruto could feel the pain begin to radiate to his entire body for a moment before it all rushed into his head, where he let out a agonizing scream.

"Naruto!" Naruto heard Seishin before he heard her fall to her knees beside him grabbed at his shoulders. "Naruto, are you ok?" Seishin asked as Naruto continued to scream but when Naruto looked at her, he saw her gasp in shock before his entire vision went white.

Then he saw it

Slowly but surely, he could see the worried face of Seishin staring back at him through the fading white filter that had overcome his eyes for a moment.

But something was different…

His vision was now a pale, icy blue and the air around her seemed to be like small, faint crystals. With every breath she took, he could see the small crystals within her visible breath.

"Whoa…" Naruto breathed out as he slowly stood up and looked around the area. There was millions of tiny crystals all around them and in different shades of colors.

"What is this?" Naruto breathed out softly.

Naruto saw that Seishin was confused by his words and only followed it up when she asked "What do you mean?"

"Everything…The air, the ground, the sky…Crystals…" Naruto whispered out in awe.

He heard Miyuki chuckle behind him and said "You are seeing the world through the eyes of the chosen."

Naruto was confused.

Eyes of the Chosen?

What did she mean by that?

Naruto turned to face Miyuki but to his total shock, all he could see was millions of bright, glowing crystals in the place where she stood with large wisps of energy flowing on and around her.

But despite the millions of crystals, he could still see Miyuki just fine but it looked like the millions of the crystals were formed to create her.

How in the hell did he manage to defeat her?

"How am I seeing this?" Naruto asked her in confusion. "I didn't see like this before but after you pointed your trident at me, I did…"

Miyuki slammed her foot on the ground and moments later, a large crystal, comprised of hundreds of tiny crystals, appeared in front of Naruto and at first, he saw his reflection as normal.

But then he looked at his eyes in the reflection and saw that it wasn't his normal ocean blue eyes that he had was born with.

His irises were ice blue and in his irises was an silver-white snowflake that glowed faintly.

Naruto's bugged out in surprise before he turned back to Miyuki and shouted "What is this?! What is going on with my eyes?!"

Miyuki gave a gentle smile and replied "In order for me to train you, I had to awaken forcefully awaken your clan's Dōjutsu…The Kioigan."

"Kioigan…" Naruto repeated softly while turned to look back at her with confusion on his face where he then shouted "Wait…I have a Dōjutsu?! When did that happen?!"

"Yes. The Kioigan (Fighting Spirit Eye). This Dōjutsu was given to the Uzumaki clan during the infancy of your home village of Uzushiogakure no Sato. The reason it was given was due to a bitter war with a cult that served the god of destruction and death, Jashin."

"I had a clan and a village?" Naruto murmured gently, his transformed eyes glancing at Miyuki, who nodded in response to his question, before he added "Wait…You said it was "Given" to my clan? What do you mean by that?"

Miyuki nodded and replied "While some clans have the Dōjutsu skill in them at birth, the Kioigan was given to the Uzumaki clan during their time battling the Jashinists."

"I see…" Naruto muttered before he asked "Well…What does this "Kioigan" do then?"

"The main ability of the Kioigan is to link your spirit with a powerful spirit that the creator of the Kioigan gives them," Miyuki explained before she gazed at the sky above and added "In this case, Since I was the one that had to awakened your Kioigan to teach you, our spirits were automatically linked so you have access to all that I know. My skills, my abilities, my summons, everything."

Naruto was stunned.

He had access to everything that Miyuki knew?!

There had to be a catch to this because this seemed too good to be true!

Luckily, or rather unluckily, Miyuki said "But while you have access to all of my abilities, you have to learn them efficiently to be able to use them to their potential."

Naruto looked puzzled by this and replied "Hold up. You said with our spirits being linked, I would have access to all you know. Shouldn't that mean I would know it immediately after linking our spirits together?"

Seishin shook her head and said "Think about it like this. You have a scroll in front of you that holds what you need but if you don't know how to read what's in the scroll, how will you learn it?"

Naruto said "Ah…I get it…" before he said with a grin "Well, all I have to say to this is let's get started. The sooner I learn how to do it, the quicker I can save Iruka-sensei."

Miyuki gave him a small smile before her facial expression became firm. "Now, you stated before that you saw crystals all around us, correct?" Miyuki asked.

Naruto nodded in response, which made Miyuki smile and reply "Good. These tiny little crystals you see all around us is the moisture in the air. As you realized, we have a many of these crystals in my domain. Do you understand so far?"

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"That is good. The reason I bought you to the edge of my domain and his domain is because I want to train you in an area where it will be easy for you to use my abilities as well as be in an area that will make it harder so you know how much chakra you will need for both. Now while we are in our domain, I want you to focus on a single crystal and push your chakra into it," Miyuki said while she placed her hands behind her back to watch Naruto intensely.

Naruto nodded and focused some chakra into a single crystal that landed into his palm and after several seconds of struggling, the tiny snowflake in his hand grew large until it filled his palm.

Naruto blinked and saw millions of crystals within the large snowflake that rested in his palm and stated "Wow, that's pretty huge but what do I do now?"

"Now, I want you to use your chakra to harden the snow into ice and for this, you're going to need to really focus," Miyuki instructed as she crossed her arms.

Naruto nodded and focused more chakra into the large snowflake that rested in palm but all it did was grow larger in his hand until he had to let it drop to the ground in a huge pile.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and regrew another snowflake and tried doing it again but still, there was nothing.

"Darn…Why can't I do this right?" Naruto asked himself while frowning.

Seishin looked at Naruto and said "Well, how are you using your chakra?"

"Well, I'm pushing as much chakra into it as possible but all it keeps doing is growing," Naruto explained in annoyance.

Seishin narrowed her eyes and said "Well, why don't you try rotating your chakra around the snowflake…like the wind."

"An excellent idea Seishin," Miyuki stated with a smile on her face before her body changed into pure ice and then shattered, causing both Seishin and Naruto to look at each other in confusion.

A few moments later, the ice on the ground reforming back into her shape before it exploded back to into Miyuki but this time, she was holding an orb of ice with water within it.

"There was a Ningen that appeared here several years ago who created an ability that involved rotating your chakra…" Miyuki explained as she walked up to Naruto and placed the orb in Naruto's hand.

"He said that to help rotate it, a small ball would be used to assist in making your chakra rotate. Normally, a water balloon was to be used but I figured that you being able to see the water churning would benefit you more. Now, Use this to assist you in rotating your chakra."

Miyuki then smiled and said "Wind is a very close allies with water and when its used together, it creates ice." Miyuki then held out her hand and grew a snowflake which instantly changed into ice.

She then launched it towards a tree where the icy snowflake remained. "Any creation I make involves the moisture in the air and quick cold bursts of wind," Miyuki explained as she created an ice rose in her hand then changed it into an icy whip and then dismissed it.

"Since our spirits are linked, it will make it easier for you to learn how to do this but you still must learn how to do it. So burst the orb with the water within. When the orb breaks, you are ready to learn more."

Naruto nodded and immediately pushed chakra into the orb and to his amazement, he could see the water within begin to churn but that was all it did.

It didn't spin at all.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and began to focus more and slowly, he could see the water spinning clockwise slowly within the orb but after a moment, it slowed to a stop.

"This might take a little bit of time…" Naruto said after a moment of silence before he grinned and added "I'll get this down pat. Don't either of you worry."

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara  
Miyuki's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto  
Several hours later_**

Naruto didn't know how long it had been that he had been doing this but he had been at it for a while and while he wasn't able to break the orb, it was warping around to extreme levels due to the water swirling within it rapidly.

Iruka-sensei always said that his chakra control was really bad and despite him and Anko helping him get it better, he knew that it still sucked so he knew the only reason he had done this was due to his link with Miyuki.

Which kind of made him feel like he was cheating but he had to take what he could get in order to defeat the Shinigami to save Iruka. Naruto began to focus more, sweat beads falling down his face and muttered "Gotta keep focus."

But then it happened.

The ice orb exploded and the water fell against Naruto's hand.

Naruto leapt up from his seated position and shouted "Yahoo! I managed to do it!"

"Very good," Miyuki said with a proud smile on her face. "It only took two hours but like I mentioned, our link made it so much easier."

"Yeah…" Naruto murmured with a nod, his tone slightly disappointed but his was overall happy by this.

"Now…I want you to make the snowflake grow in your hand," Miyuki commanded. Naruto nodded and focused the on the snowflake that immediately grew in his hand.

"Good, now change it to ice," Miyuki ordered.

Naruto nodded and narrowed his eyes and began to swirl the chakra around the ice as quickly as possibly and for a moment, nothing changed at all, making Naruto inwardly panic until the snowflake began to harden until it was ice.

Miyuki smiled in approval when he finished and she walked towards him and held the icy snowflake in her hand and launched it towards a tree and smiled when it stuck into the tree.

"Very good…I am very impressed," Miyuki said with a wide smile before she said "Now… I want you to do it again but make it faster."

Naruto nodded and did it again but this time, the snowflake grew into his hand a lot quicker than this first time then he quickly swirled his chakra around the snowflake to make it pure ice once more.

"Very good," Miyuki said. "Now this time, I want you to make the snowflake grow as well as change it into ice."

"So forgo making it into a giant snowflake first. Alright…" Naruto stated before he narrowed his eyes at the small crystal in the palm of his hand and used the chakra to grow the snowflake while simultaneously trying to swirl his chakra around it.

But the snowflake jittered in his hand from one size to another while the chakra swirling around the snowflake faltered repeatedly until the snowflake exploded into icy mist.

In the end, Naruto was unable to instantaneously make an ice snowflake. "Damn it…" Naruto frowned, disappointment on his face.

"Now don't be disappointed Naruto," Seishin told him with a frown on her face. "Even Miyuki-sama couldn't do this at the beginning. You'll get the hang of it."

Naruto frowned and said "I certainly hope so. Who knows when my next challenge is going to get here…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and began to focus again and for the next hour, Naruto continued to work at it until he had finally done it.

"Finally! I did it Miyuki-sensei!" Naruto said with an excited smile, the large icy snowflake in his right palm.

Miyuki chuckled at him and said "Wonderful. Now do it again."

Naruto nodded and did it again with a large smile, which only got larger when the it formed faster than before.

"Perfect, now we will be spending the next while training you to create weapons with the ice and when we are done, we are going to have you do it in his area next.

Naruto nodded and took a small breath and said "I'm ready to learn it all Miyuki-sensei!"

For the first time since Naruto met her, Miyuki smiled a large grin form on her face.

And that was when Naruto paled.

* * *

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato  
Yondaime General Hospital  
Hiruzen Sarutobi_**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was troubled.

When Anko told him about what had occurred when she was visiting Naruto in the hospital room, he hadn't believed her story but when he saw the icy/snowy carnage that had occurred in not only the room, but the entire hospital, he quickly changed his tune.

Every floor of the hospital was filled with snow and the walls and ceilings were covered in ice and while this was stunning, when he walked into Naruto's hospital room, icicles formed from the ceiling and on the ground but when he looked to Naruto's bed, there were thin ice tendrils wrapping around the bed, forming a rather strange shield around Naruto's bed.

Sarutobi had tried to use a Katon jutsu to melt that ice but the ice refused to melt, much to his surprise. He then tried several Katon jutsu but again, the ice tendrils refused to melt away.

If anything, they grew stronger.

What could have caused this Winter Wonderland in Naruto's hospital room?

He knew that it couldn't have been Anko due to the simple fact that she had never studied Hyōton jutsu in her entire life.

And considering she was the only one in here, he sincerely doubted anyone tried to assassinate him here. Sarutobi could see that despite the intense cold, Naruto was breathing easily and he looked as normal.

 _'His body is not reacting to the intense cold…'_ Sarutobi thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

The last time this occurred was when Uzumaki Kushina was nearly killed by her kidnappers, only to be saved by the late Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and during her time unconscious, she went through the same type of phenomenon occurred and when she awoken, she had a Dōjutsu, known as the Kioigan, The "Fighting Spirit Eye" as she explained later.

This Dōjutsu allowed her to not only allowed her to use elemental jutsu at will with barely any cost to chakra, but it gave her other abilities as well.

It could change her speed, her agility, her strength, her chakra reserves, her power, everything but it also added another ability as well.

It allowed her to instantaneously create and wield these special weapons and armor that any self-respecting warrior would dream to wield.

And from what he had seen her do, there seemed to be even more to Dōjutsu than what he already knew.

Could it be that Uzumaki Kushina's Dōjutsu was resurfacing in her son?

"Winter has arrived earlier than expected at Yondaime General, old friend," a familiar voice rang out, causing Sarutobi to turn to face the owner of it.

"It is, Shimura Danzō," Sarutobi replied, eyeing his former friend and teammate.

Danzō walked into the room and eyed the unconscious Uzumaki Naruto and stated "Why am I not surprised that it is Uzumaki Naruto that is causing the entire hospital to freeze like this?"

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and asked "What are you doing here? We both know you don't leave your chambers for anything unless it's for a meeting."

"Yes, this is true," Danzō admitted. "But I was I was here for my monthly check up when the place the neighborhood and I saw the room I was in become a snow storm. Hence why I am here."

Sarutobi knew from the sparkle in his old friend's eye that the story he had just gave him was total bullshit but Sarutobi accepted it and said "Very well…"

Danzō laughed softly and said "I must say, I was not expecting this type of ability for Uzumaki Naruto. It reminds me of what his mother went through. Nearly identical situation as well…"

The war hawk then smirked and said "If what is occurring with him is similar to her, we could perhaps try resurrecting pro-"

"We discussed this before Danzō," Sarutobi hissed out in anger. "It failed. We will not try to resurrect that doomed project. I refuse to put Naruto through it again."

Danzō chuckled and said "You'll change your tune soon enough when he becomes as uncontrollable as his dear mother." Danzō then smirked at Hiruzen and said "And we both know how that ended old friend…"

Danzō's laughter echoed in Sarutobi's ear as the man limped out the room, causing the Hokage to narrow his eyes in fury.

* * *

Rain: And that is where it ends for now. I know that this was mostly a training chapter for Naruto but it's a very important chapter to have. Also, with his training, it is causing a real world issue and that will be addressed soon. So until the next chapter.

Mario: Merry Christmas and See you next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Rain: Holy fuck, It has been ages since I started this fic and yeah, many things have happened but I have come back into this fully reinvigorated so sit back, relax and enjoy the new chapter!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Seven**_

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Miyuki's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

"Spear!"

Naruto nodded and formed an ice spear into his hands and twirled it above and behind him before he smacked it into the ground and held it in front of him.

"Sword!"

Naruto spun around as the ice spear morphed into a sword where he then swung it from right to left before he swung it upwards with a flourish.

"Shield!"

The sword morphed into a shield as Miyuki launched several ice kunai towards Naruto, who then blocked each kunai with the shield before he slammed it into the ground,

"Wall!"

Naruto slammed his foot to the ground to bring up an ice wall, which blocked a hail of ice needles that would have pierced him before he twisted his body and kicked the wall towards Miyuki.

Miyuki held out her hand destroyed the wall with a smile of approval. "Very good Uzumaki Naruto. While it took a long time, you have become proficient at using my abilities. I am proud."

Naruto beamed at her praise, his Kioigan glowing softly. It felt like a lifetime had passed but he had made a lot of progress in this new Dōjutsu and he while he could see the difference, he could feel it as well.

"Heh, thanks Miyuki-sensei, it was all because of your training that I even got this far," Naruto said humbly with a bow to her direction. Miyuki nodded with a gentle smile on her face.

On the sideline, Seishin kept her eyes on Naruto with a thoughtful expression on her face. When he first came to this realm, he was a sloppy fighter, that much she knew but now, she could see that the countless training from Miyuki did firm up his skills.

There was still many things to be done but at least there was some great progress done and he would need it if the sounds of thunder rumbling told her anything about his next opponent.

"You have done well but it is time that we move. Before we go, I want you to deactivate your Kioigan," Miyuki told him softly.

"But how?" Naruto asked.

"All you have to do is say "Kioigan: Break," Miyuki told him.

"Break? But why?" Naruto asked curiously.

"When you activate the Kioigan, it connects your spirit with mine. When you deactivate it, it breaks that connection hence why you have to say it."

"I see...Well, Kioigan: Break," Naruto said and the moment he did, the glow of his irises faded away, leaving his eyes a dull gray before his ocean blue irises returned.

Naruto then blinked a few times and said "Man, its weird seeing the crystals fade away like that. I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"It does take some time but you'll get it." Miyuki said with a smile on her face before she looked to the sky and stated "Now Naruto-san, When you need to activate it again, just say "Kioigan: Awaken " and it will activate but be warned, you have to say my name to connect our souls."

"Why is that?" Naruto asked.

"Because if you only say that, it puts you in what I call "Basic Mode" Where your normal abilities are enhanced but that is it. You will not have access to my skills. Understood?" Miyuki asked.

"Yes Miyuki-sensei," Naruto responded.

Miyuki smiled at this and said "Good, now we must start moving again. We took longer training you than necessary and I am quite sure that he is getting impatient."

"How do you know that?" Seishin asked curiously but her answer was granted when the three of them heard a very loud thunderclap in the distance, which made her shake her head in amusement and replied "Questioned answered. Let's get moving Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded and said "Well then, let's get going!" With that being said, the three hopped onto Miyuki's tiger summon, Yuki, and rode through the frozen wasteland and as they rode, Naruto asked "So, who is my next opponent?"

Miyuki looked back at Naruto and replied "He is Tsubasa. In his past life, he was a skilled Raiton user but instead of the the typical blue lightening, his always came out as yellow. Because of this, he was known as the Ierōsandā no Kaminari no Kuni (Yellow Thunder of the Land of lightning). He was undefeated and even in talks of becoming the leader of the village that would become Kumogakure no Sato until he was killed by the man who would become the first Raikage."

"Whoa...He must be super tough..." Naruto said with an awed look on his face.

Miyuki nodded at this and replied "Yes. Tsubasa maybe one of the youngest of the Royal Guard, along with Houka and Kai but his skills and loyalty to the Shinigami made him a good member of the Royal Guard."

Miyuki frowned slightly and then added "But he is lazy, arrogant and cocky and he angers very quickly. It is the only thing that damages him from becoming truly great. It is why he could never defeat me. I take my time in battle to plan my victory while he just rushes to it without thought."

"Well, I'll just have to use that to my advantage then," Naruto grinned, a plan already forming within his head. "So tell me, with you being the best at keeping your opponents far, what is his skill?"

"He is a skilled fighter and most of his techniques involves incorporating his Taijutsu but if you keep at his game and fight him from afar, he will force you to return back to him. The best way to combat him is keep at medium range. Far enough so he can't strike you but close enough where your weapons can strike him."

"Medium range, got it. Anything else?" Naruto asked.

Miyuki turned her head away from him to focus on keeping Yuki on the right path as she said "Do not get overconfident. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer..."

Naruto nodded, a plan fully made within his mind.

Soon, the snowfall of the Shinrin no Kesshō Seishin (Forest of the Crystal Spirit) began to lessen while the snow that was beneath them became lighter until they were both gone and soon, Naruto and his troop found themselves riding into a large plain with dark gray clouds above their heads and high dark green grass all around them but every so often, yellow bolts of lightening crashed down to the ground around them.

Naruto then noticed that in four areas, there were four large triangle crystals in four different spots of the plains and whenever lightening struck the crystals, they flashed a bright yellow before fading away."

"Where are we?" Naruto asked out loud with a frown on his face.

"Welcome to the Heiya no Raimei Seishin (Plains of the Thunder Spirit)," Seishin answered nervously. She always hated coming to Tsubasa's realm due to the fear of the lightening coming down to strike her and while she couldn't die, she knew she would be in a world of pain if they hit her.

Naruto noticed her nervous tone and asked "Are you ok?"

Seishin answered with a nod but Naruto could see the fear in her eyes and gave her a blank stare and said "Yeah, like I believe that very convincing answer."

"I just don't like lightening all too well," Seishin responded as a loud thunderclap caused her to shriek in surprise and cling to Naruto tightly.

Naruto, being unprepared for her clinging for him, caused him to shriek as well and fall off of Yuki and onto the ground on his back, with Seishin still attached to him, which caused her to fall on top of him.

When the two landed, Naruto opened his eyes and saw Seishin's glowing eyes inches above his and when he looked down, she was sitting right on top of him.

Both Naruto and the Seishin blushed furiously at the rather intimate position they were in and quickly separated, with Seishin getting back on her feet and Naruto scrambling backwards before he got to his feet as well.

"A-Are you ok?" Seishin asked with a stammer.

Naruto nodded and murmured "Are you ok?"

Seishin nodded in reply.

Miyuki patted her summoned tiger before she leapt off the summon gracefully as it faded away into a pile of snow, which then floated against the wind and said "While this is very precious, we must get serious. Tsubasa will be here any moment."

"Maa, Maa. I'm already here. Took you guys long enough," A lazy voice rang out around the area. Seconds later, a large bolt of yellow lightening slammed into the ground.

But unlike the others that would fade away, this bolt remained attached to the clouds above before the lightening formed into a shape of a man before exploding outwards, to reveal Tsubasa, who had his hands in his pockets.

"Miyuki-senpai. A pleasure as always," Tsubasa said with a nod at her direction before he turned to Naruto and said "And you must be the Ningen that beat her. Impressive. I have never beaten her before and yet some upstart comes in and does it. How'd you do it?"

"Sorry, my secret to have," Naruto said with a grin. "Besides, Here I thought you were a man who could defeat her without any tips. Suppose I was wrong."

Tsubasa frowned at Naruto's words and said "Well, that ends the hospitable portion. Let's just make this short." Tsubasa pulled his hands from his pockets and rolled his right shoulder. "Shinigami-sama wants you put down and since Miyuki-senpai was unable to do it, I will you down in his name. We can do this the easy way or my way."

"What is the easy way?" Naruto asked.

"I stomp you down," Tsubasa replied.

"And what's your way?" Naruto then asked.

"I stomp you down," Tsubasa replied again.

"Wow...Much ego, such shock," Naruto mocked before he said "Welp, how about we do things my way. I beat you down and move forward. Simple as that."

Tsubasa chuckled and said "Well, my way it is then. Seishin, Miyuki-senpai, please get far away from this area, things are going to get brutal."

Miyuki chuckled and began to walk off while Seishin said to Naruto "Good luck. I'll be rooting for you," before she ran off after the crystal spirit, leaving Naruto and Tsubasa alone.

"Good idea to send those two away," Naruto stated with a smirk on his face. "Not wanting them to see you get your behind handed to you is a good lo-"

Naruto was interrupted immediately by a sudden right hook to his face. Naruto soared backwards into the air but he was able to recover by summoning a clone, which caught him and threw him back to Tsubasa where Naruto then returned a left hook to the spirit's face.

Tsubasa skidded backwards from the blow with his head lowered as Naruto landed on the ground a few feet away from him. Tsubasa raised his head and said "Good, that actually hurt me a bit."

"While your punch felt like a mosquito against my cheek," Naruto retorted immediately.

Tsubasa narrowed his eyes in annoyance before he dashed forward with his right arm cocked back but when Naruto dodged the oncoming punch that was going to connect to his face, Tsubasa smirked.

Just then, a large burst of plasma exploded against Naruto's face, which sent the shinobi-wannabe soaring back into the air, bolts of electricity streaking across Naruto's body. _'T-The fuck was that?!'_ Naruto screamed in agony within his head as he slammed onto the ground back first.

Tsubasa had missed the punch but not only did he get hit, he was then electrocuted from the missed blow!

Naruto rose to his feet with a grin on his face.

He would keep to his plan and not allow Tsubasa to see that it actually hurt him. "That all you got? And they used to call you fearsome," Naruto said shakily as he got onto his feet, the streaks of electricity causing agony to shoot up his body.

Tsubasa scowled and dashed towards Naruto again but this time, Naruto dashed towards Tsubasa while summoning several clones by his side and just as they were about to meet, Naruto summoned an extra clone in front of him and kicked him forward towards Tsubasa as he shouted "Bushin Bakuha!"

Tsubasa skidded to a stop just as the clone stumbled in front of him and exploded while the other seven clones took this chance to henge into several small stones within the tall grass.

Naruto flipped to his feet and said "Let's keep you on your toes, Awaken Kioigan!" Naruto shouted before his Kioigan came to life and the moment it did, Naruto's ocean blue eyes faded away into a dull gray.

Naruto remembered what Miyuki had told him but he didn't want to give away his trump card yet against this spirit. He wanted to battle him on his own and when shit hit the fan, he would then link his soul with Miyuki's and finish it.

" _Always remember Naruto, one of the main skills a Shinobi must have is the element of surprise."_

Naruto smiled as Iruka's words echoed within his mind and thought _'Don't worry Sensei...I remembered...'_ Just then Tsubasa dashed through the smoke of his clone's remains with a roar and aimed a punch to Naruto's head.

Naruto ducked to the ground to avoid it and quickly rolled to the right before he leapt up and aimed a knee to Tsubasa's head, which nailed the spirit in the middle of his face...Or so it seemed.

Tsubasa smirked as Naruto's knee was mere inches away from his face, being blocked an electrical aura. "So close," Tsubasa said before Naruto gritted his teeth in agony as electricity shocked his body in the air before he was shot back into the air.

This time, Tsubasa leapt into the air after him and spun his body before slammed his heel into Naruto's side, which sent Naruto soaring to the left as another burst of electricity overtook the blond male.

Tsubasa smirked and dashed towards Naruto once again until he was above the teen where he then began to punch Naruto repeatedly in the face, each punch causing Naruto's descent to the ground to increase but as Tsubasa threw out another punch, Naruto grabbed the fist and twisted his body threw Tsubasa over his shoulder to the ground, where the spirit slammed against the ground hard.

Naruto summoned two clones despite the pain that coursed against and within his body due to the electricity and grabbed a clone by the wrist, who then followed by grabbing the second clone and with a yell, Naruto twisted his body and swung his clones down at Tsubasa while letting go of the first clone's wrist.

Tsubasa saw the three clones falling towards him at a high speed and tried to dash back but pebbles by his feet exploded into smoke which then revealed two more clones, which quickly grabbed both of his ankles.

Tsubasa's eyes widened as Naruto shouted "Bushin Bakuha: Eikodan!" as he pointed to the two clones on the ground. The two clones at his fight exploded into a flash of light which instantly blinded the spirit while the other two clones and slammed into Tsubasa, which caused Naruto to shout "Bushin Bakuha!" causing both clones to explode upon impact.

Naruto quickly summoned a clone and changed it into a large shuriken and strapped it onto his back and landed on the ground, his mind racing as another plan began to form in his head.

He had five more clones waiting on their cues while another was strapped to his back. He knew that two clones exploding wouldn't hurt him so he had to get him into a position where he could cause a massive explosion to take him out.

Summoning ten more clones, Naruto ordered them to change into pebbles and quickly dispersed them into the tall grass and not a moment too soon because seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal Tsubasa, encased in a electric orb, looking no worse for wear.

"So...You survived. Unexpected considering how weak you are," Naruto said with mock surprise, a large smirk on his face. "I may just have to use more than thirty percent of my power."

Tsubasa scowled as the lightening in the sky screeched with each streak. Naruto knew he was getting angrier from his remarks.

"Well then, let's kick this up a notch so I can show you how weak you truly are," Naruto stated before he said "Kioigan: Awaken Miyuki!"

Naruto's dull gray eyes then exploded into life as his irises instantly became ice blue and the silver-white snowflake spun wildly within his irises until they slowed to a stop, where they began to glow faintly.

In the distance, a white outline appeared around Miyuki's form as the two women watched from afar.

"He is playing a dangerous game taunting Tsubasa like this," Seishin murmured beside the woman with concern but Miyuki merely smirked.

 _'No...'_ Miyuki thought as she stared at Naruto's form before she looked to the furious look that Tsubasa had on his face.

 _'He knows exactly what he is doing...And that is why I fear that for you Tsubasa, You are going to lose...'_

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end it. It's a bit of return to form and I hope you guys enjoyed it so until the next chapter...

Mario: See you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

Rain: And I am back with another chapter. No time to talk, let's just do it!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Eight**_

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Yondaime General Hospital  
Mitarashi Anko**_

"Hey Gaki, I'm back," Anko said to the unconscious body as she sat down beside Naruto's bed. "I figured since I have bereavement leave due to...Iruka-kun...That I would use that time to visit you...I hope you don't mind."

Anko brushed away Naruto's stray hair and noted that it was getting longer. "I'm going to have to cut your hair when you wake up..." Anko took a soft breath. "Iruka's funeral is in a few days...I'm hoping that you will be awake for it. I'm sure he would wanted t-that."

Anko shut her eyes and wiped a stray tear that had fallen from her right eye and said "Kami, this is torture you know? Having both of you gone. It's like...When I met you two, my world became full with color..."

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Tsubasa's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

"Come on Tsu-baka, fight harder!" Naruto exclaimed as he created and ice shield to block Tsubasa's right fist before he was sent backwards by an electric burst. Naruto skidded to a stop and created an ice wall before he kicked it forward, which collided into Tsubasa's body but the spirit burst through the wall an enraged shout.

Naruto smirked and twisted his body and launched his ice shield towards the spirit and then enlarged it, causing Tsubasa to punch through it but Naruto's right foot collided against his face before he kicked off of it.

Naruto performed a back-flip and landed on one knee before he rose to his feet and summoned an ice spear and just as Tsubasa came close, Naruto threw the spear before following it closer. Tsubasa smacked the spear away but Naruto instantly knelt beneath Tsubasa and summoned an ice pillar to slam against Tsubasa's stomach before he was sent higher into the air by the pillar.

Naruto flipped onto the pillar and ran up it until he leapt up above Tsubasa's body and created another pillar, which crashed against the first pillar with Tsubasa in the middle of the collision, which splintered the two pillars before they both exploded.

Naruto fell to the ground and stood a few feet away from the icy remains and said "This is far too easy," Naruto said as he created an ice lance and placed it on his right shoulder. "Yo Tsu-Baka? You alive?!" Naruto shouted.

The battle between Naruto and Tsubasa had been one-sided so far, with Naruto being able to repeatedly keep Tsubasa from striking him due to Miyuki's skills and his own trickery.

Naruto was very close to finishing this battle and thus getting ever so closer to the Shiniga-

" _Every day was filled with laughs and hugs and smiles...as an orphan and with that snake bastard, I never got that and to have all of that one day and then gone the next...I just can't deal with it. I need you here..."_

Naruto suddenly leaned forward with a sharp gasp and began to pant violently, his vision blurring before going dark until the blackness faded away to reveal Anko looking at him with tears streaming from her eyes.

 _'Anko-nee?'_ Naruto thought to himself in alarm.

How was he seeing her?

The darkness overtook his sight once more until it faded back in to Tsubasa in front of him with a katana in his hand.

Naruto's eyes widened as he summoned an ice shield to block the strike but once again, his vision darkened to reveal Anko once again but this time, he could see tears falling freely from her face. _"I already lost Iruka...I lost the man who I gave my heart too...So please come back to me...Don't leave me alone in this world..."_ She then leaned forward and said _"Please...Come back to me!"_ before he saw her slump forward and started to sob openly.

The vision darkened once more before it solely focused back in Tsubasa's domain, where Naruto found himself in the air, his ice shield shattered around him due to blade slicing through it. _'Anko-nee!'_ Naruto shouted in his head as he recovered in the air and create an ice pillar to land on.

Naruto knelt on the pillar and held his head with gritted teeth, his left eye closed. _'What the hell is happening to me?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he panted heavily.

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Shinigami's Throne Room**_

" **This is not good..."** The Shinigami muttered lowly.

"What isn't, Shinigami-sama?" a woman with long platinum blue hair and glowing ocean blue eyes, wearing a white and ocean blue kimono asked dully as she stood beside the god of death.

" **Uzumaki Naruto's body is trying to force his soul back to it,"** The Shinigami replied as he shut his eyes in agitation. **"But it is too soon. He is not ready to return just yet, despite the progress he has made...I will have to speed up this process before it is too late."**

The Shinigami then turned to the woman and said **"Urara, bring me Houka, Kai and Makito at once. Do not delay."**

Urara knelt to the Shinigami before she disappeared in a swirl of water. A few seconds later Urara, Houka, Makito and a young man with glowing red eyes, spiky crimson hair, black baggy pants and glowing red tattoos on his body appeared before the Shinigami with a swirl of water, a gust of wind, an explosion of earth and an explosion of fire.

The four knelt before the Shinigami while Urara said "I have bought them as commanded, Shinigami-sama."

" **Good,"** replied the Shinigami as he leaned back onto his throne. **"Originally, I was to have each and everyone of you battle Uzumaki Naruto as a test to see if he is worthy of being my champion, as I told Miyuki. Unfortunately, his body is recalling his soul back earlier than expected and with him still being alive, I am unable to force his soul to stay so I must speed up my plans."**

Makito was the first to stand up as he said "Well then Shinigami-sama, what can we do?"

" **It is simple...He is close to defeating Tsubasa. Once he does, the four of you will bring him and the others here for his ultimate test to see if he can truly become my champion. Now go!"** The Shinigami ordered.

With a nod, the four spirits vanished in their preferred styles, leaving the Shinigami alone in his throne room.

* * *

 ** _Tamashii Nohara  
Tsubasa's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto_**

 _'Anko-nee...I don't know why I'm seeing her but seeing her like that...To know that I can't come back to you...'_ Naruto placed a hand on his chest and clutched his jacket, a tear falling from his face.

 _'That I can't bring Iruka-sensei or myself back...Is fucking brutal...But the least I can do is get him to heaven so he can watch over you...But if he saw what I saw, could he stand it? Could he stand watching her cry like I could, knowing that he can't wipe her tears or hug her?'_ Naruto clenched his eyes shut as another tear fell down his eye, guilt stabbing at him more.

"Anko-nee..." Naruto whispered before he opened his eyes and said "No, no tears...Not yet...I have to save Iruka-sensei...Tears will come when I go to hell for what I've done..." Naruto stood up and said "So push forward Uzumaki...Push forward and beat anyone that stands in your way..."

Determination filled Naruto's being as he shouted "Because saving Iruka-sensei's soul comes first to me so come on Tsu-baka! I'm still waiting for the fight to start! Bring your best and don't hold back on me!"

Tsubaka growled and raised his right hand forward and shouted "You've forced my hand you little bastard! I was trying to keep this fully hand to hand but with your constant running mouth, I decided to show you where my skills truly lie."

Tsubasa then raised his hand into the air and once he did, a large streak of of lightening streaked down to the ground and collided with Tsubasa's hand.

The bolt of lightening formed into a long object against Tsubasa's hand before gripped the bolt sharply, causing the electricity to explode outward to reveal a sheathed katana.

"Now its time for you to cut you down," Tsubasa told him with a focused look before he stomped on the ground to force himself into the air before he flickered out of existance.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he vanished and quickly created an ice spear but the second he did, Tsubasa flickered before him while simultaneously unsheathing the katana..

The katana had a yellow hilt and the metal was pitch black with a yellow lightening bolt etched within the steel and every so often, streaks of lightening flickered against it.

Naruto went to block the swing of the katana but to his surprise, the blade cut through the lance, causing it to change into snowflakes.

Naruto ducked another swing and kicked Tsubasa in the stomach while simultaneously kicking himself off of the ice pillar where he slowly rotated until he landed on the ground on his feet but once again, Tsubasa flicked in front of him and swiped his blade downwards and caught Naruto in the chest.

Naruto's eyes widened in pain but he saw that Tsubasa was going for another swing so Naruto quickly ducked the swing of his opponent's sword and punched Tsubasa in the stomach.

Naruto then formed an ice gauntlet around his fist before he rose up and gave a brutal uppercut which splintered the ice while sending Tsubasa's head snapping backwards. Naruto then dashed backwards as he formed and ice pillar which shot out towards Tsubasa.

Tsubasa's head snapped forward with a grin when he saw the pillar and shouted "Exactly what I expected! Hageshii Rajin Shuuha (Fierce Thunder God Wave)!"

Tsubasa's blade glowed a bright yellow before a large wave of electricity appeared from the swing and sliced through the middle of the pillar, heading straight for Naruto.

"Holy shit!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his hand to the ground and summoned another ice pillar, which shot him up into the air to avoid the attack and as he flew in the air, he heard the crackle of electricity coming from above him and when Naruto looked up, Tsubasa was above him with his sword in the air, an outline of electricity flowing around his body and sword.

"Inazuma Atemi (Lightening Bolt Strike)!" Tsubasa shouted before he dashed towards Naruto, his entire body flickering before it became a bolt of lightening.

Naruto twisted his body as he summoned an ice shield around him just as the bolt collided with and then shattered the shield and slammed into Naruto, which sent the Uzumaki sailing to the ground.

Naruto slammed onto the ground back first on the ground as an explosion of electricity happened against him, revealing Tsubasa, who had his blade within the gut of Naruto. The ground beneath Naruto quickly crumbled and uprooted due to the impact Naruto's body had on the ground.

Naruto coughed out blood, which splatted against his cheek but Naruto's eyes burned with determination as he gripped the blade, a large grin on his face. "Is that all?" Naruto gasped out as he gripped the blade tighter, causing blood to seep down the blade.

Tsubasa growled and rammed the sword further into Naruto's gut, which caused Naruto to grit his teeth to hold back at the pain but refused to scream.

Instead, Naruto raised his free hand and formed an ice fist and shot it up, nailing Tsubasa in the face and sending him into the air which caused him to pull the blade from Naruto's stomach.

Naruto turned his body to sit up on one knee and panted heavily, his vision blurry. The end of the battle was drawing nearer, he knew it and he landed right in the area where he knew this was it. It was then Naruto saw a single pebble within the crater.

Time for one more gamble...

Naruto stood up and jumped out of the crater and landed on the outside where he then fell to one knee, blood spilling from his wound.

Naruto saw Tsubasa land a few feet away from him and said "You know Tsubasa...You are very skilled but you still can't win."

Tsubasa pointed his katana at Naruto's direction and replied "You are wounded and you can't even get on your two feet and yet you still have the nerve to talk shit?"

Naruto smirked and said "It's not my fault I'm better than you...I've fought circles around your ass from the jump and it took me being distracted for you to even land a hit on me...Fact is, for someone on the Shinigami's Royal Guard, you are pathetic."

Tsubasa laughed loudly and said "It took me a while but I see through your tricks. You've been pissing me off the entire time and I didn't quite get why until just now...You're trying to distract me enough for me to go into a blinding rage for you to capitalize."

Tsubasa laughed once again before he said "And it was working until just now. So now...It's time to shut your mouth for good."

Naruto stood up on shaky feet and saw several of his clone pebbles on the ground and knew that it was time to play his final card.

So with spread arms, Naruto said "Come on then...Since you are so damn smart...Show me how serious you can-" Tsubasa suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and lunged his blade to Naruto's chest but Naruto moved at the last second to allow the blade to pierce his left shoulder.

Naruto gasped out in pain but he smirked and gripped the blade and pulled himself onto the blade further and grabbed the neck of the spirit. "Gotcha!" Naruto shouted.

The pebbles exploded to reveal Naruto's clones and two of them grabbed Tsubasa's legs while one grabbed his arm while two attached themselves onto the spirit's back. Naruto let out a toothy grin and said "Time to end this! Bushin Baku-!"

But it was then Naruto saw Tsubasa smirk and suddenly, Naruto had a bad feeling. "I got you," He said before he lifted up his arm into the air. Seconds later, a large streak of lightening crashed on top of them.

The clones screamed as they evaporated but Naruto let out a scream as electricity coursed through his body before he was sent flying backwards from the bolt of lightening and crashed against a boulder, which splintered and exploded upon impact.

Tsubasa smirked and said "That is how it's done kid." But that smirk then changed into surprise when Naruto's frayed body change into a puff of smoke.

"W-What?" Tsubasa stammered out but seconds later, the ground behind him exploded to reveal Naruto with his right fist, which was encased in thick ice, cocked back as he yelled.

Tsubasa turned around when he heard the yell but he was then Naruto punched him as hard as he could, shattering the ice against the spirit's jaw. The two then fell to the ground, with Tsubasa unconscious and Naruto on the ground, blood pooling from both of his wounds.

Naruto turned around and to get on his back and shut his eyes and grinned as he said "Kawarami...A shinobi's best friend..."

Naruto then shut his eyes and fell unconscious, just as he heard several footsteps coming his way.

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
The Royal Guards Chambers  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

"Man, Tsubasa, you literally fell into his trap," a perky female said with a heart laugh.

"Tch, he was smarter than I expected but he didn't get away unscathed Makito," Naruto heard Tsubasa state rather heatedly.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut as athe perky female's voice said "But he still won. You were out cold and he was awake...for a seconds anyways."

"He was skilled," the perky female voice stated. "The fact that he already knew what to say to set you off shows he had a game plan. It doesn't help the mind games continued until the very end."

Naruto opened his eyes and said drowsily "Well...I can't take all the credit..." Naruto leaned up off the bed and winced due to the pain in his gut and shoulder before he added "Miyuki kinda gave me some pointers before the battle."

"Ah, you're finally awake!" the perky female said as she leaned down to catch Naruto's eyes.

Naruto looked up into glowing pink eyes and said "You have very beautiful eyes. Never seen pink ones before."

The girl laughed and said "And yours is great as well," before she leaned up and looked at Tsubasa and said "I like him already."

"Figures you would Houka..." Tsubasa said with a scowl on his face before he remembered Naruto's words and said "Even when we don't battle, Miyuki-senpai has to make sure I lose."

"I'm sorry for the mean things I said," Naruto told him. "It's just...She told me a bit of your backstory and I knew I had to keep you from going full danger...Like you did in the end."

Tsubasa snorted and leaned against the wall and said "Forgiven...But we will fight again with no bullshit mind games next time. Got it?"

"It's a deal...Well...If they allow you to see me in hell," Naruto said, the enthusiasm at the start of his sentence dying into a sad grin.

Houka frowned at this but Tsubasa snorted and said "We'll see."

Naruto looked around at his surroundings and asked "So...Where am I exactly?"

Houka smiled and replied "This is out sleeping chambers. The Royal Guards I mean. You're currently on my bed. I never had a guy sleep on it before."

Naruto looked down and saw he was underneath pink covers and chuckled "I see..."

"Don't diss the pink," Houka pouted out. "It's the color of the wind after all. Now, I need to go get Urara-san so she can check your wounds. Be right back!" Houka smiled before she ran out of the room, leaving Naruto and Tsubasa alone.

"So..." Naruto began. "Where are Seishin and Miyuki-sensei?"

Tsubasa snorted and replied "Last I saw, those two were in front of the Shinigami. I guess he needed to talk to them about something. I don't know, I needed to get my wounds looked at so I didn't bother to stick around.

Naruto's eyes narrowed the more Tsubasa talked before he said "Fuck. I hope that bastard didn't send them to hell for helping me."

"Who knows," Tsubasa countered.

Seconds later, Houka came back with Urara by her side and said to Naruto "I am back and with our residence nurse. She'll get you healed up. Once we do, you have a meeting to attend with the Shinigami."

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will this chapter. The next chapter will actually be the end of this arc and the official start of this story. It may feel rushed and truth be told, after quite a few people stated that they wanted Naruto back in Konoha, I decided to be quicken it up so until the next chapter...

Mario: See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Rain:No time to chat, get into it!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Nine**_

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
**_ _ **Tengoku**_ _ **Gate**_

"You sure want to go in there on your own?" Makito asked as he crossed his arms, eyes narrowed.

Kai and Makito were standing in front of a large beam of ethereal blue energy that pulsated with power every few moments. "Shinigami-sama ordered me to retrieve Umino Iruka...I shall do his bidding," Kai responded before he added "Despite my unworthiness."

Makito snorted and said "Shinigami-sama gave you the ability to go into this realm. He obviously finds you worthy. Hell, if he didn't, he wouldn't have even put you into the Royal Guard."

Kai shook his head and said "He'll change his mind day or another..." Kai then turned to the beam of energy and took a deep breath before he walked through the beam of energy while Makito waved him off and walked through another door.

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
The Tower of Souls**_

When Kai appeared on the other side of the beam of energy, he found himself standing across a black glassy bridge which laid in front of a large twelve story circular shaped building.

From the first floor to the very top were souls that the Shinigami had imprisoned for various reasons.

For some, for trying to defy fate and return back to the land of the living. For others, for trying to usurp his position as the lord of the afterlife but in this case, there was a special guest within this tower.

Kai walked across the bridge and into the tower and the moment he walked in, he could hear the wails of the souls trapped within each and every cell. He could feel the misery from every single trapped spirit within the tower and he couldn't stop himself from feeling terrible for them.

But he couldn't allow these feelings to impede on what he needed to do. Level after level, Kai traveled up the tower until he reached the very top floor where his target lied.

Within the very last cell was a small white glowing orb with an ethereal flame aura flowing around the orb. Kai opened the cell and held out his right hand and said "Kōgai (Reveal)."

The orb began to glow brightly as the flames around it began to fade away, leaving the orb completely alone. The orb began to expand and took a humanoid shape that was kneeling on the ground and when the light faded away, Umino Iruka appeared, shaking and shivering violently.

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Prison**_

"Seishin-san, calm down...It'll be ok," Miyuki told the young spirit, who was pacing back and forth.

The two spirits were locked inside of small room and they had been in this room since The four members of the Royal Guard came to get the unconscious Naruto after his battle with Tsubasa and since that time, Seishin had been pacing back and forth nervously but not for herself.

But for Naruto.

"How could I calm down?" Seishin asked as she looked to Miyuki. "They could be doing Kami knows what to Naruto! They are going to send him as well as the two of us to Hell."

"Well...It would only be the two of you," Miyuki stated as she sipped a cup of tea that Kai had given to her during their time in the room. "I, along with the others, were told to assist Naruto had he defeated me but I, being the second leader of the Royal Guard, will remain in this realm. I was never in any danger in going to Hell. None of us were. Only Naruto, Umino Iruka and you."

Seishin stared at her long and hard before she took a deep breath and replied "I suppose you're right..." Seishin sat beside Miyuki and murmured "I truly thought he could do it...That he could defeat all of you and take on Shinigami-sama...But I was wrong..."

"You weren't wrong," Miyuki stated with a look to the disheartened Seishin before she continued on. "Naruto-san had defeated me and defeated Tsubasa after a hard fought battle. It shows that the Shinigami took Naruto-san as a serious threat and forced the others to take him down before he got to use Tsubasa's power like he had done my own."

Miyuki placed her hand on Seishin's shoulder and gave her a small smile and said "Do not give up faith in him. Perhaps he will figure out a way out of this to keep you and Umino Iruka from going to Hell."

Seishin looked to Miyuki and gave a small smile in return and said "Thank you...It may seem like its all over but he was able to defeat you and Tsubasa. Perhaps there is something he could do."

Just then, the door opened up and Kai was at the door. He looked to Miyuki and said "It's time."

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Shinigami Throne Room**_

The Shinigami was in a foul mood.

His entire plan for Uzumaki Naruto had to be sped up due to his body forcing his soul back to it, signifying to him that his body is nearly or completely healed.

But despite this, the lord of the afterlife was a smart entity that had a plan "B" and it was time for him to use it.

Kneeling before him was two of his Royal Guard Members, Kai, Houka and Makito. Other than Urara, they hadn't fought or truly interacted with Uzumaki Naruto yet so this would work perfectly for him.

But first, he needed to know how his potential champion was doing. **"Status report on the Uzumaki,"** Shinigami ordered as he narrowed his eyes at the spirited member of his Royal Guard.

"Urara-san is currently healing him to optimal levels," Houka replied.

The Shinigami nodded and looked to Makito and asked **"Where are Miyuki and Seishin?"**

"They are being transported here with the spirit of Umino Iruka. Kai should be arriving any moment with them," Makito answered.

A few seconds later, The doors of the throne room opened and there stood Kai and Miyuki and behind the two of them was Seishin and the terrified looking Umino Iruka, the two of them chained together with chains on the wrists.

When Miyuki began to walk, Kai tugged at the chain and began to walk with her, causing the other two spirits to walk behind him up the long trail until the two Royal Guards knelt beside Houka and Makito and said in unison "I am here with them, Shinigami-sama."

The Shinigami glanced at the three chained spirits behind him and said **"I hope Kai was gentle with you when he retrieved Iruka-san."**

"W-Why am I here?" Iruka asked as he stared at the at the entity. "Where is here and why am I in these chains?"

" **Straight to the point. You are here because your affiliation with Uzumaki Naruto. You will be the key to seeing if he is a worthy champion to me,"** The Shinigami replied, which caused Iruka's eyes to widen.

"Your champ...What does Naruto have to do with any of this?!" Iruka shouted, his worry for his little brother beating the fear he had for facing the Shinigami as well as being in this unknown world.

Kai turned around and said with a warning tonere "Do not raise your voice to Shinigami-sama."

Iruka frowned at Kai and said "Naruto is my little brother. Anything that happens to him concerns me so if that means I have to shout and yell at the Shinigami to get my answers, I will!"

The Shinigami laughed in amusement and told Kai **"It is fine. He has a right to be concerned. A lot is on the line if Naruto fails."** Shinigami then turned to Iruka and said **"All will be revealed when Naruto arrives."**

"That isn't good enough answer!" Iruka shouted but this time, Kai pulled on his chain harshly, which made Iruka fall to the red carpet beneath him sharply.

"Iruka-san! Kai, you've gone too far!" Seishin shouted as she reached for him but Miyuki slightly tugged at her chain, causing Seishin to lower her hands and frown sadly.

"I will not allow this Ningen to step out of his bounds Seishin," Kai stated with anger in his voice. "Now quiet. Speak when you are spoken to."

Seishin frowned but Kai ignored it and looked to Iruka and said "If you overstep your bounds one more time, I will make sure that it will be the last time."

Iruka narrowed his eyes angrily at Kai but he remained silent, worry for his brother filling his heart. _'Naruto...What have you done to make the lord of the Afterlife come after you?'_

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Royal Guard Chambers**_

"How long must this take?" Naruto asked with gritted teeth as Urara's hands were placed at his gut, glowing ocean blue chakra over her hands as she healed his wounds.

"It is almost done Naruto-san. You must be patient," Urara scolded softly with a frown. Naruto scoffed and leaned his head on the rather comfortable pillow beneath his head.

"I wish I could but I can't...Knowing that Iruka-sensei and Seishin-chan could already be in hell without me being able to help them is killing me," Naruto replied sourly as he shut his eyes. "I appreciate you healing me but I would have rather gone out the way I was."

"Idiot," Tsubasa replied as he turned to glance at the Uzumaki. "You don't know what to expect once we lead you to Shinigami-sama. The best thing to do is go in fully prepared and if that means sitting for another few minutes to return to one hundred percent then you take that."

Urara chuckled at the words of Tsubasa and asked "Are you truly telling someone to not be impatient? You of all spirits?"

Tsubasa snorted and said "Even I know not to rush your healing, Urara-chan."

Urara gave him a serene smile in reply before she turned to Naruto and said "Just a few moments longer."

"I'm sorry if I'm rushing you," Naruto told Urara gently.

"I understand. You are worried about your friends. I have done the same many times in the past and I am quite sure that I will continue to do so in the future." The glow around Urara's hands then faded away as she said "And you are all set Naruto-san."

After Urara got off of the bed, Naruto swung his legs to the side before he stood up and said "Man, I feel so much better. I didn't realize Tsubasa did so much damage until I woke up."

"Heh, never underestimate my abilities. You didn't even get a chance to see the good shit," Tsubasa replied cockily.

"I doubt it but let's see what happens," Naruto replied before he looked to Urara and said "Well..I'm ready. Let's go see the Shinigami."

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Shinigami Throne Room**_

Naruto had to admit, the trail to the throne of the Shinigami was a bit daunting. With the emerald flame torches that lined the wall gave the dark corridor an eerie feel to the dark hall. Naruto walked forward through the dimly lit area with Tsubasa and Urara trailing behind him.

Naruto couldn't help but feel nervous as he walked in silence with the two spirits and why shouldn't he be? He was going to face the Shinigami, the lord of the afterlife and despite the bravado he had shown previously, he was still afraid.

But Iruka and Seishin were in danger of being sent to Hell and there was no way that Naruto could back down now. It was his fault that their afterlife was in danger and he was going to rectify that.

After another three minutes of walking, Naruto could see five spirits were standing in front of the throne where the Shinigami sat. Naruto could feel the Shinigami's eyes on him as he approached the main area of the chamber.

Once he entered the main chamber area, he gave a nod to Miyuki, who smiled in response before he looked up to the Shinigami and said "So...Here I am."

" **Here you are,"** The Shinigami replied with a chuckle. Naruto's eyes widened a bit at the voice that came from the Shinigami. That was the same voice he had heard when he first arrived in Tamashii Nohara.

" **I have been watching you Uzumaki Naruto. The way you fought against Miyuki and Tsubasa was very impressive."**

"I aim to please," Naruto replied before he said "Look, I'm just going to get right to the chase. I am here because of you wrongfully trying to send Iruka and Seishin to Hell. I came to stop you from doing so."

The Shinigami laughed for a brief moment and said **"Straight to the point. I like that in a challenger. Well then, I am the Shinigami, the ruler of souls and I hear that you are trying to reverse the fate of Umino Iruka and Seishin and as impressed as I was with you, It is time to end your wishful thinking."**

With a raise of his right hand, two sickly green colored orbs of energy appeared and within them were Seishin and Iruka, both of which shouted "Naruto!" in unison.

Naruto's eyes widened as he said "Seishin-chan! Iruka-sensei!"

" **Yes..."** The Shinigami said with a low tone. **"This is why you are here...Is it not? For the safety of these two spirits?"**

"Damn right I am! They aren't going to Hell on my watch!" Naruto exclaimed.

" **Then come get them,"** Shinigami replied with a challenging tone.

Naruto smirked and dashed forward towards the throne but Shinigami turned to Houka and motioned to the oncoming Naruto.

Houka nodded and dashed forward to meet Naruto and the moment they met, Naruto threw a right hook which Houka blocked with her left arm.

"Sorry Naruto-san, orders," Houka stated before she pushed the arm away and went for her own right hook but Naruto swayed back to avoid the punch before he leaned forward sharply gave her a head butt, causing Houka to stagger backwards.

Naruto then took another step forward and aimed a low kick to her calf but Houka bent her leg upwards to avoid the hit and once she placed her foot down, she aimed a right jab to Naruto's face but he caught the fist, twisted his body and tossed her over his shoulder and into the air.

Houka soared into the air from the throw but to Naruto's surprise, her body stopped immediately in the air while she was upside down. Naruto tilted his head as she rotated herself in the air back to her upright position and gave a wave to the Uzumaki.

"I see..." Naruto noted before Houka flew down towards him quickly but Naruto rolled to the right to avoid the flying kick that was aimed towards him and when he got onto his feet, he jumped up and nailed a dropkick that sent Houka flying upwards into the air where she then stopped once again in mid-air.

She then bent both of her arms backwards as light pink chakra began to form around her hands and with a shout, she lunged both hands forward and a powerful gust of wind blew from both hands but Naruto could see the shimmer of blades within the winds.

Naruto jumped to the side to avoid the burst of wind and seconds later, the ground was scarred. Naruto looked up and saw Houka's eyes glowing bright pink and she had an excited smile on her face as she said "Let's cut loose."

"I do not like the sound of that," Naruto said before he shouted "Awaken Kioigan!" Naruto's irises instantly faded away from their bright ocean blue to a dull gray as he immediately stomped his foot against the ground, which rebounded him into the air where he shouted "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Five clones exploded to life beside him in the air but Houka quickly flew to the left and fired a burst of pink chakra, which slammed into two of the clones, which exploded after several cuts appeared on their bodies.

Naruto grabbed the two clones beside him and twist his body before he launched both clones towards Houka and shouted "Bushin Bakuha!"

The two clones started to glow brightly as they neared Houka's body but seconds before they collided, a watery shield formed around Houka's body to shield her from the clones exploding.

Naruto landed on the ground with his remaining clone as Houka floated down to the ground and seconds later, Urara appeared with a splash of water in front of Houka and said "Forgive me Naruto-san but I am now your opponent."

"Aww Urara-chan, I was about to cut loose..." Houka whined out.

"Forgive me but if you cut loose, you would destroy the entire room. I shall take over from here," Urara replied as she turned to Houka with narrowed eyes.

Naruto laughed softly and stood upright and said to the Shinigami "So this is your game? Very well.." Naruto then turned to Urara and Houka and said "Very well. I'll take you down Urara-san."

Houka pouted and flew back to stand beside Makito and Kai as Urara smiled at him and replied "Then come forth Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto patted his right shoulder as he walked to the right, his eyes locked on Urara's form. There was an unshakable aura around her as she stood there in front of the Shinigami and Naruto was unsure how to combat her.

From her watery appearance and the water orb that had formed around Houka, Naruto knew her skills was based with water but how far did that go?

Naruto wrung out his right wrist and launched himself to Urara and aimed a flying kick to her head but Urara swayed to the left to avoid it but she landed a swift chop to Naruto's neck, which sent him to the ground.

Naruto quickly pushed himself upright to his feet and blocked her right slap with his hand before he aimed an elbow to her head but Urara smacked his elbow down and followed it up with a kick to the back of his head.

Naruto flew forward from the kick and landed on the ground but he recovered and rolled forward back to his feet before he flipped backwards and performed a overhead kick which nailed Urara in the forehead, which sent her to the ground.

Naruto landed on his shoulders before he flipped to his feet and turned around only to be struck in the face by a thick strand of water, which sent him spiraling to the ground.

Urara's body exploded into water before she rose from the puddle that remained from the watery explosion while Naruto slammed his right fist on the ground before he rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

Iruka was stunned at the sight of Naruto.

Naruto never showed this skill at all during his time at the academy and despite both him and Anko helping him with Taijutsu, this was something else entirely. How was Naruto keeping up with Urara and before her, Houka?

"How could this be?" Iruka asked as he watched Naruto dash to Urara once again to continue their battle.

"He is truly amazing, isn't he?" Seishin asked Iruka, who watched as Naruto landed a right hook to Urara's face, which had sent her staggering to the side.

"He is but...How did he get so strong?" Iruka asked her as Naruto blocked a high kick to the left side of his head but was then sent backwards by a hard stream of water to the chest.

"From the moment Naruto-san got here, all he talked about was saving you," Seishin explained as Naruto summoned a clone, which grabbed Naruto and threw him into the air, where he then summoned five more clones which dashed down to her.

"It's been his driving force. Sure, he states that he's also doing it for me but its truly for you. He forced himself to become better in order to defeat the Shinigami to send you to Heaven," Seishin added as Urara formed a water orb around her to shield herself from the clones exploding.

"Send me to Heaven?" Iruka asked her in surprise.

Seishin nodded and replied "Yes. Originally, you were going to go to Hell while Naruto was supposed to go to Heaven but Naruto instantly refused that and made a vow to defeat the Shinigami to send you to where he thinks you belong."

Iruka was surprised that he was supposed to go to Hell but wasn't surprised at where Naruto was supposed to go. He may have been mischievous but Naruto was a great kid and after all he had been through in his life, Naruto truly deserved to belong in Heaven.

But there was something that was amiss. "If Naruto succeeds in defeating the Shinigami...What happens to him?" Iruka asked her.

Seishin lowered her head and said "He takes your place in Hell."

Iruka gasped in horror at this reveal and instantly shouted "Naruto, you need to stop this battle!"

Naruto ducked a roundhouse kick from Urara and wrapped his arms around her waist before he whipped his body backwards to the ground while releasing his hold on Urara, causing her to soar backwards and slam against the wall.

Naruto leaned up off the ground and shouted "Don't worry Iruka-sensei! I just have two more to go!"

Iruka shook his head and shouted "No! You mustn't continue this battle Naruto! I will not allow you to take my place in Hell!"

Naruto rose to his feet and wiped sweat from his forehead and exclaimed "You don't deserve that fate Iruka-sensei! You have been amazing to me and I threw that all away because of my need of becoming a genin!"

Iruka opened his mouth to speak again but Naruto shouted "Don't you dare try to argue that fact. I let you down...After all you have done for me, I let you down. I failed the exam, I let Mizuki-teme trick me and then I...I even stole the Forbidden scroll to try to become a shinobi...I..."

Naruto shut his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks as he took a shuddered breath. "I-I got you killed...Mizuki-teme may have struck you down with that shuriken but I was the one who killed you..."

"Naruto..." Iruka murmured softly as his eyes became watery.

"You did so much for me Iruka-sensei...You took me in when I had no one...You and Anko-nee were the closest things I had to parents in my life and this was how I repaid you? I killed you and I left Anko-nee in tears."

Naruto wiped his eyes and let a large grin appear on his face as he said "I fucked up so badly and I need to be able to make it up to you..So if that means I have to defy the Shinigami to get you to Heaven and me to Hell, then so-fucking-be it!"

Naruto then turned his head and looked towards Urara and said "So come on Urara-san! Let's keep going."

Urara chuckled and said "Then let us continue."

Naruto dashed forward and summoned another clone when the two got close, Naruto slide down to the ground and kicked Urara's right ankle, which caused her to lean forward, allowing the clone to leap up and clothesline Urara off her feet, which sent her down to her back with a crash.

Naruto flipped to his feet and dismissed his clone and before he grabbed her ankles and spun around three times, each spin getting her higher in the air before he threw her towards the Shinigami but she was able to recover by causing a water bubble to appear behind her where she bounced against it and flew back down towards Naruto and landed a solid flying kick to his face.

Naruto flew off his feet and skidded on the ground before he pushed himself off of the ground and back onto his feet where he then skidded to a stop. Blood fell from his nose as Naruto staggered on his feet.

Urara landed on the ground as water formed around her lower arms as she murmured "Mizu no Muchi (Water whip)," before she raised both of her arms and said "Prepare yourself Uzumaki-san."

Urara swung her right arm, causing a large whip of water to follow her swinging arm towards Naruto, who rolled to the left to avoid the attack, which caused a spider web crack to appear on the ground.

Urara withdrew the water back around her arm and jumped to the left and swung her right arm, causing the water whip to smash against Naruto's chest causing a large gash to appear on Naruto's chest.

Naruto fell to one knee but rolled to the right to avoid another whip strike before summoned a clone, who grabbed Naruto, spun around and launched him into the air before a water whip pierced through the clone's chest.

Naruto summoned seven more clones and pull off his jacket and tossed it to the ground before he grabbed two clones and threw them towards Urara and shouted "Bushin Bakuha: Eikoudan!"

Urara quickly formed a water orb around her, thinking as if it was an explosion like before but when the clones exploded into bright light. Urara covered her eyes for just enough time for Naruto to summon ten more clones,all surrounding Urara's orb while Naruto himself stood a few feet away from them.

Naruto waved and said "Bushin Bakuha!" The clones shined brightly before three of the clones exploded, causing multiple ripples against the shield before it dispersed, allowing for the remaining to explode freely.

Urara's body flew backwards towards The Shinigami but without warning, Makito leapt up and caught her unconscious body before it could collide with their master.

Makito landed on the ground and said "It it is my turn," before he sat Urara down next to Houka, who instantly held her close, and waltzed towards Naruto, who was panting lightly. Naruto leaned up and thumbed his nose and waved Makito to him.

"Come on," Naruto said as he put his fists up, walking backwards while also circling the much taller spirit.

Makito chuckled and said "You must be exhausted."

"Heh, I could do this all day," Naruto said with a smirk on his face. Makito laughed and smacked his right bicep and then his left as he circled Naruto but before the two could get started, Naruto's vision became blurry.

 _'W-What is going on?'_ Naruto asked himself as he shook his head and stumbled forward. The edges of his vision began to darken as he saw Makito darting towards him until it went dark.

When his vision returned, he found himself looking at the face of one Hyūga Hinata, who was sleeping by his side. _'Hinata-chan?'_ Naruto questioned until he turned his head and saw a much smaller Hyūga female sleeping on the other side of his body, her body clinging to his right arm.

 _'Hanabi-chan...'_ Naruto thought as his vision began to darken once again. _'Wait! No!'_ Naruto thought in a panic before his vision darkened once again and when his vision returned, he found a red screen over the ceiling of the Shinigami's chamber.

Naruto quickly realized that he had been busted open from whatever had occurred moments ago. Naruto groaned and stood up on his feet as Makito stood across from him, blood dripping off of his right knuckle.

Just then, Kai jumped and landed beside Makito and dashed forward with flames covering his fists.

Naruto swayed backwards to avoid the fire covered right hook before he ran backwards, avoiding the many quick jabs from Kai before Makito appeared from the left and punched Naruto in the jaw, sending him staggering backwards.

Kai came forward in a crouch and landed a right hook to Naruto's side before moved to the side to allow Makito to kick the Uzumaki in the chest, which sent him flying backwards where he skidded on the ground several times before he came to a stop.

Naruto wiped his eyes to clear the blood from his face and rose to his feet, in a daze but as he took a step forward but Makito charged forward as the earth rose around and in front of him, causing him to be encased in earth which then morphed into a large tiger.

Seeing this, Kai jumped forward and landed on the tiger before he exploded into flames, causing fire to swirl around the tiger.

Naruto eyes widened in surprise and jumped to the side to avoid the fire covered tiger but without warning, Kai and Makito leapt out the other side of the tiger as it began to glow an ominous red.

Naruto's eyes widened before he switched himself with his discarded orange jacket mere seconds before the creature exploded.

Naruto panted heavily as he appeared in his jacket's spot on one knee and groaned in pain as he pushed himself to his feet and saw the Shinigami's expectant gaze as he held out the orb that held Iruka and Seishin.

Naruto gritted his teeth and mumbled "Time to get serious...Kioigan: Awaken Miyuki..." Miyuki began to glow a bright while as Naruto's dull eyes morphed into its activated mode. With a slam of his hand, a pillar of ice exploded to life towards the Shinigami.

Houka flicked before him and said "Not this time!" before she shout out a gust of wind towards Naruto but Naruto leapt off of the pillar, just as the wind cleaved straight through it and created an ice disk where he launched it towards the spirit.

Houka swung her arm and sliced through the ice disk and flew towards Naruto and aimed a right fist at his face but Naruto created an ice shield and blocked the fist but without warning, the ice shield exploded and Naruto's left arm suddenly became numb as a sharp pain shot from the arm.

Naruto slammed on the ground back first and flipped to his feet and when he glanced at his left arm and gasped in shock. His entire left arm had three slice marks going from between his fingers up to his shoulder and there was blood everywhere.

But the most damaging thing of all was that he couldn't feel the arm at all.

"Kaze no Tsume (Wind Claw). Simple yet effective," Houka said as she floated before him, her eyes glowing a bright pink. "Upon impact, it slices through anything put before it...Your left arm is done for...Surrender now. I do not wish to further injure you," Houka told him softly.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he watched Kai and Makito appeared behind her with serious expressions on their faces and gave a smirk, struggling to stay on his feet, telling all his answer through this simple act.

" **You won't stop...Even if the odds are against you?"** The Shinigami asked him.

"Tch...I won't stop here. I won't stop until Iruka-sensei and Seishin are safe..." Naruto replied, vision began to fade as he fell onto one knee, trying as hard as he could to keep his vision clear.

" **Even if it means your eternal damnation, you will keep fighting for your cause?"** The Shinigami asked softly.

Naruto closed his eyes and and pushed himself to his feet and gave a feral smirk and replied "I will not stop...Not for you, not for anyone and for damn sure not for myself...I made a vow to save them and no matter what you throw at me, I will not back down!"

Naruto took a step forward and said "So come on!" as he motioned for the spirits to come for him with his right hand. "Come on!" Naruto shouted again with a ragged breath.

The entire chamber was silent, with only the sound being heard was Naruto's harsh panting. Suddenly, the Shinigami chuckled softly and said **"The last person who faced me down like this was your mother when she became my champion...I see that the apple does not fall far from the tree at all."**

The Shinigami then chuckled softly and said **"Stand down all of you. He has passed my test..."** The Shinigami moved the orb with his prisoners trapped in it to the ground in front of Naruto before it dissipated, allowing both Iruka and Seishin to run to Naruto just as he began to fall and when Iruka caught him, he realized that Naruto had fallen unconscious.

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end it. The next chapter will be the Shinigami's explanation as well as Naruto's awakening. This was originally going to be the last chapter for this arc but I actually lost this chapter through my computer three times before I said "The hell with this" and put this out. So until then...

Mario: See you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter. So this chapter will have the Shinigami explain everything as well as some other things so sit back, relax and enjoy!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Ten**_

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Royal Guard Chambers**_

"Naruto...Naruto, wake up..."

Iruka said as he shook Naruto in his arms, a concerned look on his face.

Iruka honestly couldn't understand what was going on.

He had just watched his student battle with the Shinigami's Royal Guards with skills he had never seen before. It was something beyond what he and Anko had taught him.

And from what that spirit said, it was because of Naruto's drive to send him to Heaven that caused it.

Iruka was touched that Naruto pushed forward and took on odds that feasibly, he shouldn't be able to overcome but he was going to force it no matter what.

The minute Naruto had collapsed, the Shinigami ordered Urara and Houka to lead them back to their chambers to get Naruto healed up once more.

Once Urara was finished healing Naruto, the two had left at Iruka's insistence to speak to the blond Uzumaki alone.

Iruka heard Naruto's guilt during his battle with the four Royal Guardsmen of the Shinigami and needed to address it with him before the Shinigami did what he was going to do.

"Come on kiddo," Iruka said as he shook Naruto again. "Wake up..."

"Nnngh," Naruto grunted out as he slowly opened his eyes and murmured "Hey Iruka-sensei..." with a drowsy smile on his face. "You're okay..."

Iruka laughed tearfully and pulled Naruto into a tight hug and said "I'm okay little brother...I'm okay..."

He could feel Naruto's right hand grip his back and the chūnin could tell by the shudder Naruto gave that he was trying to hold back tears. "I-I'm so sorry..." He heard Naruto say as the young shinobi-wannabe choked back a sob.

Iruka laughed softly and placed an affectionate peck on top of Naruto's head and said "Hey now, no need to apologize Naruto. I don't want you to feel that my death was your fault..."

"But it was!" Naruto insisted with a shout but Iruka shook his head.

"No...It was Mizuki's fault...He used a child to do what he couldn't...what he was afraid to do," Iruka said softly before he pulled back and wiped the tears falling from Naruto's eyes and added "I blame him for my death, not you. You were just trying to be the shinobi you always wanted to be...And that you've proved to me on this day."

Naruto looked at him in confusion and this prompted Iruka to untie his hiate-ite from his forehead and said "It may be late to do this but better late than never. Uzumaki Naruto, for not giving up in the face of adversity along with the many skills I have seen, I grant you the rank of Genin of Konohagakure no Sato."

Naruto stared at him in surprise before he lowered his gaze and murmured "Thanks Iruka-sensei but I...If becoming a shinobi meant for your death, I can't accept it...It doesn't feel right to me anymore..."

Iruka frowned at Naruto's words.

It seemed despite his confidence in battle, Naruto's confidence in himself had taken a huge blow and seeing Naruto so subdued and cowed made Iruka's heart hurt.

Naruto was supposed to be the brash, hyperactive, unpredictable shinobi that all of Konoha had ever seen...Not...Broken like this.

Iruka knew he meant a lot to Naruto but to know that his death had caused a dramatic change to the youngster had truly stunned him.

Especially considering how they were years ago.

Iruka knew that once Naruto started on this path, there would be no changing him so Iruka did the one thing he could do.

Iruka leaned back and punched Naruto hard in the face, which sent Naruto off the bed and to the ground.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Naruto exclaimed as he held his cheek.

Iruka frowned down at the Uzumaki and said "You are not Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened at this and he said "The hell? I am Uzumaki Naruto!"

"No you are not!" Iruka responded with a shout, which made Naruto flinch slightly.

"My Naruto has made many mistakes in his life but the one thing he has never done was back down from anything, especially his dream of becoming Hokage. He once told me that he would do all he can to become the leader the village needs and that no matter what happens, he would achieve it!"

Iruka then let a sad smile form on his face and said "He was always confident in himself and his goals. Despite you fighting with all you had out there, you showed shades of Uzumaki Naruto but the person in front of me is just his clone...A clone born of guilt."

Iruka then turned away from Naruto and said "Death happens, It can't be escaped or stopped. It can be delayed, sure, but it is a constant shadow that hovers above us. Some get swallowed up by it prematurely. Others get taken by it at the very end of their life or even fall into the shadow themselves. As a shinobi, the shadow clings to us at the ready..."

Iruka then turned back to Naruto and said "That is a lesson that Anko and I have drilled into your head for ages. I always knew that my shadow would take me whole. Not through battle, but by me saving those I care about and I accepted that because the life of those I care for trump my own."

"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto breathed out softly.

"I do not regret doing what I did Naruto," Iruka interrupted with a smile. "Not even for a moment. Does it bother me that my death caused you to go through all of this? Yes. Does it bother me that my death caused you to feel such overwhelming guilt and Anko-chan's tears? Yes, but I'd rather you both be alive and sad than all of us together in death. You can mourn me, you can miss me but don't ever feel guilt about me dying. I died saving someone I loved. To me, that is the best way to go."

He could see tears falling down Naruto's face and without warning, the blonde launched himself to Iruka and hugged him as tightly as he could as he openly sobbed against his chest, which prompted Iruka to hug him back as he murmured "I love you too Naruto...I love you too...Now no more guilt, ok?"

Naruto pulled away from him and wiped his tears away before he looked at Iruka and said "What kind of shinobi would I be if I undermined your willing sacrifice by feeling guilty?"

"Good boy," Iruka said as he patted Naruto on the head affectionately.

Just then, the door to the chambers opened up to reveal Houka, who said to the older man "The Shinigami requests both of you. It is time for him to explain what is going on."

Iruka nodded before he turned to Naruto and said "Let's go..."

* * *

 _ **Tamashii Nohara  
Shinigami Throne Room**_

" **And there he is. The man of the hour. I do apologize for all of the secrecy but I needed to be sure of the one I sought out,"** Shinigami said as he leaned back against his throne as Naruto and Iruka stood side by side, with all six of his Royal Guard behind the two.

"Before we start," Naruto said softly. "Will Iruka and Seishin be ok? I know you said that I passed your test or whatever but I just need to be sure."

The Shinigami laughed softly and said **"They were never in any danger of going to Hell...I just needed to put some fire under you to see if you could rise to the challenge that I set. Seishin will continue to be my assistant and Iruka will be going to Heaven once this is done."**

"Thank goodness," Naruto replied with a relieved exhale.

As he promised to Iruka, Naruto had forced all of the guilt from his mind about Iruka's demise but he still worried that Iruka would still go to Hell for Naruto technically failing his mission, despite passing the Shinigami's test.

" **I may be known as the "Emperor of Death" but I do have a heart,"** The Shinigami responded with a chuckle before he then said **"But now it is time for me to explain why I have done all of this."**

The air grew tense as the Shinigami began to explain.

" **I originally had a much longer test for you to go through. Originally, You were supposed to gain power by defeating each and every one of my Royal Guard to achieve their skills and then at the end, you and I was supposed to battle. My condition would have been to lay one single blow to my body. However, I had to speed up the process due to your soul being called back to your body..."**

"What? How?! I'm dead!" Naruto shouted in amazement but the Shinigami shook his head slowly before he let out a sigh.

" **The truth of the matter is that you weren't dead. You were merely in a coma,"** The Shinigami admitted which made Naruto's eyes widen in surprise.

"A-A Coma? But Seishin-chan told me-"

" **She was incorrect. You were in a coma. It was I that bought you here to my domain in order to test you. To see if you were worthy in becoming my Champion,"** Shinigami answered, which made Naruto stare at him in silence before the genin began to laugh.

Naruto laughed long and hard until his gut hurt.

He didn't know what to say to all of that. All of this...Was just a test for him to become the Shinigami's champion?

"Wow...Out of all this shit I've been through, this has to be the second worse," Naruto finally said after a minute of laughing. "So you wanted to test me to becoming your champion? Why didn't you just ask?! Why this grand lie?!"

" **Because becoming my champion isn't just an "Ask and Answer" deal Uzumaki Naruto,"** The Shinigami responded. **"I needed to test your resolve and dedication to the cause. And despite your body's interference, I have seen enough to know that I chose wisely."**

"What makes you think I'll do it now?" Naruto asked angrily. "After practically destroying my body going through this gauntlet only to find out that my goal was a lie, what would possibly make me want to become your champion?!"

" **If you don't, the world that you know will be destroyed,"** The Shinigami responded, which made Naruto pause.

"I'm sorry, what?" Naruto asked.

" **There are mortals down in your realm that wishes to erase death from the world. One wants to trap the world in an infinite genjutsu that would trap your entire realm to what they wish your world to be. The second mortal is trying to perfect a jutsu that would bring dead beings back to life and the last mortal is trying to extend his own life. With these plans, they wish to usurp the natural course of reality. Something that cannot happen,"** The Shinigami explained.

"I see..." Naruto responded softly. The second issue really didn't seem like such an issue to Naruto. If they succeeded, Iruka would be bought back into the world but he had to look at the bigger picture.

If the person was good, Naruto wouldn't have any issues with it but if they were evil, and with how grave the Shinigami sounded, they just might be, then Naruto could see the issue., Especially if they were working with the first person the Shinigami spoke of.

A world trapped within a genjutsu? That sounds horrifying enough but Naruto didn't even know what side they were on troubled him more. Was there times in his youth that Naruto wished he could change the world?

Yes but that would possibly mean warping people's personalities...or even mind controlling them.

Something Naruto himself finds morally wrong. As much as he wanted people to change, he wanted them to change naturally, on their own. Not by a jutsu or by force. But there were also many other issues with the plans of these two mortals that Naruto truly didn't want to think about right now.

"So what does that have to do with me?" Naruto finally asked.

The Shinigami chuckled and replied with **" Back in the Sengoku Jidai (Warring State Period) where the Uzumaki clan was in its infancy, your ancestors quickly gained an enemy that served the god of destruction and death, Jashin to use them as sacrifices to their god. Many were lost and in their desperation to combat these living incarnations of Chaos, they prayed to me."**

"Holy hell..." Iruka muttered, which made Naruto agree with him.

" **I despise that fake god but I knew how strong he could become if his cult were to gain members so I gave them their request by giving them a single drop of my godly blood in a large chalice to drink."**

" **With that single drop of blood, I gave them their ability to possess incredibly a strong life force, granting them tremendous stamina and vitality. As such, they have very long lifespans and to keep them in their prime a lot longer, causing them to age slower as a result. This also enables any Uzumaki to survive and endure much more severe injuries while also being able to recover from said injuries and exhaustion with much greater efficiency in short periods of time. I even made these traits strong enough to survive the removal of tailed beasts, although they are still left severely weakened afterwards. Such as what happened with Mito and your mother, my former champion, Uzumaki Kushina."**

"Whoa...That is amazing," Naruto breathed out in surprise.

" **And along with all of that, I gave them the ability to be very powerful Fūinjutsu practitioners. They were able to defeat and destroy all but a tiny handful of Jashin users. But my gifts came with a sacrifice. There was a catch to my generosity..."**

"Oh really?" Naruto asked sarcastically before Iruka smacked the genin upside the head, causing the shinobi to pout.

The Shinigami chuckled before he said **"For any Uzumaki, no matter what percentage they are, that dies, their spirits become part of my Royal Guardsmen. But only the strongest of those spirits become something more..."**

" **When a catastrophic event that could cause the death of all life on earth was on the horizon, I would choose an Uzumaki to become my champion to stop this event before it could occur or stop it if it reached completion. With the Uzumaki as my champion, I would grant them the power to use their ancestors as their power in the form of the Kioigan...The Fighting Spirit Eye."**

"Whoa, wait a minute. My ancestors...So does that mean that all of them are..." Naruto started, unable to fully finish what he was going to say.

The Shinigami laughed and said **"Yes, in their past lives, the six of my strongest Royal Guardsmen were Uzumaki. The very clan you belong to."**

"Fucking...Holy...Whoa..." Naruto stammered out as he turned to the six and noticed their surprise as well by this admission.

"Did you guys know about this?" Naruto asked.

"N-No," Houka replied with a stammer.

"No freaking away," Tsubasa muttered.

"I always figured," Kai muttered.

Makito only laughed at this reveal while Miyuki and Urara remained quiet, which told Naruto that those three had always knew.

" **It is true, The six you see, on the exception of Kai, don't share the trademark red hair of the Uzumaki but they are Uzumaki. Half blooded Uzumaki, but Uzumaki nonetheless. With Miyuki, Urara and Makito being here the longest. Exactly one century."**

"So...All Uzumaki become either part of your guard or part of the Kioigan..." Naruto said softly.

" **Yes but I have allowed for catch for that as well for my champions,"** The Shinigami replied with a smile. **"For my champions that stop the catastrophic events, their soul, along with the Kioigan souls are sent to heaven instead of being in my service as a reward for their service."**

"And those that fail?" Naruto asked.

" **They go to their eternal prison, the Tower of Souls...Every prisoner that resides in that tower are failed champions. They are forced to relive their failures and the feelings of all that had died because of them for all eternity, never knowing peace...Only violence and regret...And not only that, if my champions fail, the spirits that helped him would share their fate, not only replaying their own failures but the failures of the one that held them..."**

The Shinigami then let out a sigh and said **"That is why this was not a simple "Yes or No" answer Uzumaki Naruto. It may sound like a light punishment but it is not...Believe me. It is a heavy risk. Be rewarded by going to the gates of Heaven...Or be damned to relive your worse nightmares with no reprieve."**

"But why me?" Naruto asked softly. "Why make me go through this test to be your champion? I'm not one special."

" **But you are...Their are many other Uzumaki in your world, despite their village and many of them perishing but you, being the son of my previous champion, showed more promise, despite their being close competition by my previous champion's daughter, Uzumaki Tayuya."**

"Wait!" Naruto suddenly shouted as Iruka gasped in shock. "You said my mother, Uzumaki Kushina was your previous champion...But I am an only child! I can't have a sister!" Naruto explained.

" **But you do...Perhaps you should look to your village elders to see what had occurred but be aware Uzumaki Naruto, you do have a sister and she also a prime candidate for the Kioigan should you fail or need assistance."**

Naruto couldn't believe it.

His entire life, he had been told that he didn't have any family. That his parents had died and he was the only child by the Sandaime and yet...He was lied to...

But if he did have a sister, that sounded alive and well, then what else wasn't he told? "Wait..." Naruto said as he realized something important.

His mother was the previous champion of the Shinigami. The holder of the Kioigan...

"Shinigami-sama! I must know...If I have a sister...Then what of my mother? Did she truly die as well?"

" **Her fate is that she is alive... "** The Shinigami replied.

Naruto's heart stopped.

His mother...Was alive?

"T-That...That Can't..." Naruto breathed out, suddenly feeling light headed.

" **It is true. She is alive...However, she is deep in a coma in an area even I can't see,"** The Shinigami replied. **"I have tried to retrieve her soul but it is trapped within her body which is trapped in an unknown void...Unreachable to even I."**

"Damn it, that could mean anything," Iruka said in frustration. "But still Naruto, you have a sister out there and your mother is somewhere alive...Not to mention, there are still Uzumaki out there."

Naruto remained silent for a moment, his mind racing with so many thoughts.

He had a sister...His mother was alive and they were both out there...Out of his reach...Not to mention, the world was heading into a catastrophic event that threatened the lives of many...

"So...I think I have my answer Shinigami-sama...But just to make sure, what happens if I refuse, do I even have that choice?" Naruto asked.

" **You do but if you refuse, you leave here with no memory and when you die, you go instantly into the Tower of Souls,"** The Shinigami responded.

Naruto chuckled and said "Then fuck that. I was going to say yet due to the catastrophic shit that was going to happen but now that I know that I have a sister our there and that my mother is somewhere alive...I can't refuse now. So Shinigami-sama, consider me your champion."

The Shinigami nodded and said **"Perfect. Then kneel before me Uzumaki Naruto."** Naruto knelt before the Shinigami and that was when Naruto felt an unbelievable amount of pain coming from his chest.

Behind him, Iruka noticed that Naruto's body began to glow beneath his clothes. Iruka could see Kanji being written down Naruto's back in crimson that read " Champion of God of Death" and from that kanji, crimson lines began to flow across Naruto's body, two thick crimson lines spiraling down Naruto's legs and arms while two thick lines crossed over Naruto's shoulders and across his chest, meeting the crimson line that formed around his hips.

" **From this moment on, Uzumaki Naruto shall become** **Senshuken no Shinigami (Champion of the God of Death), holder of the Kioigan. Wear this title with pride and bring my the souls of those that dare defy fate."**

The glow on Naruto's body faded away where Naruto panted heavily, suddenly feeling very exhausted.

The Shinigami then looked to the six of his guard that still knelt and said **"Tsubasa, Miyuki, Urara...Step forward beside Naruto."**

The three guardsmen followed their leader's orders and knelt beside the Uzumaki. **"You three were defeated by Uzumaki Naruto. Therefore, the three of you will become the starting spirits for his Kioigan. So I wish for the three of you to place your hands onto his back and I shall do the rest."**

The Three spirits nodded and placed their hands on Naruto's back before the Shinigami raised his right hand. Suddenly, the three began to glow brightly until they became three beams of white light, which then flew into Naruto's body, which caused him to gasp in agony, streaks of white lightning crossing his body.

But thanks to Miyuki's previous actions when she put that orb in his chest, Naruto didn't pass out and the pain quickly subsided.

" **Kai, Houka, Makito, the original plan was for you three to be his spirits but considering the circumstances, your union with him will wait until the opportune moment of your choosing...provided he passes your tests..."** The Shinigami told the three, who nodded in unison

" **Now stand, My champion,"** The Shinigami commanded. Naruto stood up on shaky legs and looked up at the Shinigami, still panting heavily from all that had just occurred to him.

" **It is now time for you to return to your body and begin your quest,"** The Shinigami then pointed behind Naruto where a large beam of ethereal blue light appeared. **"That is your way back to your body. Miyuki, Tsubasa and Urara will be excellent teachers to you and they will continue to unlock your abilities until the remaining three will join in but considering all I have seen you do, you are destined to be my greatest yet, surpassing even your mother."**

"T-That's a lot of praise for someone who hasn't even started yet," Naruto noted with a weak laugh.

" **Very true...Let's hope you live up to my expectations, Uzumaki Naruto..."** The Shinigami replied before he said **"And to show my appreciation, your sister's current whereabouts are within the clutches of one of the ones that are trying to defy fate...Look towards the Grass."**

"Great...That'll be easy to find out," Naruto noted.

" **And Umino Iruka..."** The Shinigami said as he pointed behind Iruka where a white beam of light with flecks of golden sparkles appeared. **"The gate to your new home await you...And I believe your parents will be waiting at the spawn point."**

"Thank you Shinigami-sama," Iruka said appreciatively with a bow before he and Naruto stared at each other.

"Well...I guess this is it Iruka-sensei...This'll be the absolute last time I ever see you," Naruto said softly as he gazed up at his big brother.

"The last time you'll see me, yes," Iruka said as he knelt down in front of Naruto before he added "But I will always be watching you and when you ever need me, I'll come running...I promise." Iruka and Naruto then embraced long hard and once to two broke away, Iruka said "Just promise me two things. Be careful and watch after Anko...She's going to be a wreck I'm sure so she'll need all of your support."

"And she'll get it. That is a promise of a lifetime," Naruto said with a determined smile on his face.

"Thank you Naruto...You may not hear this for awhile but I love you and go in peace, my brother..." Iruka said as he gave Naruto one more hug, which Naruto returned with his own hug and his own muffled _"I love you too big brother,"_ before he broke away and turned away to hide the tears that had then fallen down in his face.

Iruka looked back to Naruto and said "Stay safe," before he turned forward and walked through the beam of light, which instantly vanished.

Naruto wiped his own tears away and murmured "Just relax Iruka-nii...I'll take of everything back in our world..." Naruto then turned to the Shinigami and gave him a bow and said "I'm off," before he turned to the remaining three guardsmen and said "Welp, until we meet again!" before he walked to this own beam of light and vanished through it.

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Yondaime General Hospital**_

"How many times have I come in here, Gaki?" Anko asked softly as she sat by Naruto's bedside, dressed in black dress with a morning cap on top of her head. She had just come from Iruka's funeral, unable to take the ending sadness that was in the air.

When she had come in here, Hinata and her little sister, who was sleeping in her arms, were just leaving, allowing Anko to be alone with the blonde Uzumaki.

When she entered the room, she noticed that there tons of flowers placed at his bedside along with "Get well soon," cards on the table.

But she didn't pay any mind to that at all.

Instead, she found herself at his bedside again.

She didn't know why she tortured herself like this.

It had been a week since Naruto had been put into this state and Iruka was killed and from the last time she spoke to the doctors, they stated they didn't know when he would wake up.

"Damn it...This is just...This is just killing me at this point," Anko said as she brushed the blond hair from his face. His hair had gotten a bit longer since she last saw him. "I made a decision...Until I get word that you wake up, this'll be my last visit. I can't handle dealing with Iruka not being here and you not being here either."

Anko took a shuddered breath as she closed her eyes and let tears flow. She suddenly fell to her knees and said "So wake up already! Wake up so I never have to walk into this place to see you again! Wake up so we can walk out of here together...Just wake up...Please...Don't leave me in the dark like this Gaki..."

Anko lowered her head into her arms and sobbed against the bed but then she felt him move beneath the covers.

She looked up and saw turning from side to side before he opened his eyes slowly.

"Oh my god..." Anko whispered out as she watched Naruto slowly lean up off the bed to sit upright before he slowly turned to her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Anko-nee..." Naruto said softly.

Anko felt more tears fall from her eyes before a watery smile appeared on her face and without any hesitation, she lunged for Naruto embraced him as tightly as he could, which caught Naruto by surprise before he reached up and returned her embrace.

"Please don't be a dream," Anko whispered against his chest through her intense sobbing, her body shaking.

"I'm here," Naruto whispered softly as she squeezed him tighter. "I promise I will never leave again you again Anko-nee...That is a promise of a lifetime..."

* * *

Rain: And that ends this chapter. So, what do you guys think of how it all went down. Do let me know in a review so until the next chapter...

Mario: See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter of this fic of mine so sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Eleven**_

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Yondaime General Hospital**_

" _Naruto-san...Wake up...We must speak..."_ a familiar voice whispered urgently.

Naruto groaned in annoyance as his eyes fluttered open drowsily before he noticed a white, sparkling orb floating above him.

" _It is good to see you again, Naruto-san,"_ the orb said.

"Seishin?" Naruto whispered softly as he tried to lean up but that was when he felt the weight of a certain sleeping Tokubetsu Jōnin.

At first, Naruto felt his face heat up when he realized that it was Anko against him, dead to the world but then he smiled at the peaceful look on her face. When he had awaken from his long slumber, he told her of all that had occurred.

From meeting Seishin to Iruka's final goodbye, Naruto had left out no detail in his afterlife adventure and at first, Anko didn't believe him, until he had activated his Kioigan. She had shed a lot of tears when he told her about Iruka and how the deceased shinobi shook the guilt out of him about his death.

And despite Iruka's words to him before, he still felt guilty when a sob ripped through Anko's mouth before she started to cry once more and if there was one thing that hurt his heart, it was women crying.

Especially one as strong as his Anko-nee.

The last thing he had remembered before he fell back asleep was apologizing to the Tokubetsu Jōnin.

So now, at ten in the evening, Naruto found himself wide awake, his eyes locked on the spirit of Seishin as someone he viewed as his older sister slept on his chest. Naruto leaned up carefully, making sure Anko was still asleep before he asked "Seishin-chan? What are you doing here?"

" _Per the orders of Shinigami-sama, I am now to act as not only your partner but also your liaison between Shinigami-sama and yourself,"_ Seishin explained as she floated in front of Naruto's head, which made his head follow her movements.

"Did he have any messages for me?" Naruto asked her curiously.

" _Just one. He requests for you to awaken Miyuki, Urara and Tsubasa as soon as possible. Your training with them must begin soon to have your skills build,"_ Seishin told him, which made Naruto frown.

"But I thought my skills had increased," Naruto replied with a tilt of his head.

" _Shinigami-sama stated that while your skills increased dramatically, there is plenty room for improvement in both your normal skills and your skill with the Kioigan,"_ Seishin paused before the orb leaned closer and said _"And from what he has discovered, something dangerous will head your way soon so you must be prepared."_

"And here I thought that they were awake already," Naruto retorted.

" _Every human only as the ability to hold one spirit. Their own. When another spirit, especially one that is more powerful than the host spirit, invades, it causes splinters in the original spirit until it shatters, destroying both spirits. The Shinigami re-worked the Uzumaki's body to be able to hold multiple spirits without splintering the original when he create the Kioigan. With each new spirit, they are knocked unconscious to give the host time to get used to both the power and the new spirit. Unfortunately, the spirits cannot be awake for this process,"_ Seishin explained once more.

"How come?" Naruto asked.

" _When a Kioigan spirit is awaken, they instantly begin to route their power to the host until they are deactivated. Considering the sheer amount of power that is pumped out by a Kioigan spirit, if the host body is not used to the foreign power and spirit, it can cause the host's spirit to shatter and break. It is also because of this reason that you cannot awaken more than your spirit can handle,"_ Seishin answered. _"And with you already having the Kyūbi within you, you can only hold up to three spirits, the Kioigan spirit, Kyūbi's and your own before your spirit shatters under the strain."_

"So basically, they are knocked unconscious to allow my body and soul to acclimate to them properly now that they are inside of me because if not, my soul could shatter, thus becoming unsalable and shattering," Naruto summed up.

The orb bobbed up and down to simulate a nod before she replied _"Exactly. And for an Uzumaki that already holds the Kyūbi no Kitsune, that part will come easy since you are used to housing another spirit."_

"So next question then, how do I awaken them?" inquired Naruto.

" _All you must do is go into their chambers deep within your soul by meditation and wake them up but that can take time. My suggestion is awaking the one that you are already familiar with,"_ Seishin suggested.

"Like Miyuki-sensei?" Naruto questioned.

" _Bingo,"_ Seishin replied happily. _"Miyuki was your first Kioigan spirit, despite her being outside of your body when you first began that link. Waking her up will be all too easy. Tsubasa and Urara will be tougher but since you defeated them in the other world, they will fall into the mold easily."_

Naruto nodded in agreement and said "Alright. I will awaken her first then. In the meantime, Will this always happen? I mean Makito, Houka and Kai...They are my future spirits y'know? I don't want to have to awaken them each and every time."

" _And you won't have to,"_ Seishin answered. _"Once your body, mind and spirit become strong enough...You won't have to awaken them since they would have the breathing room to acclimate instantly."_

Naruto grinned.

He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with waking them each and every time. "Good...So I guess since Anko-nee is sleeping, I should get started in awakening Miyuki-sensei."

The orb moved left to right before Seishin replied _"You are not yet healed enough to do so. Your soul has just come back to your body. It can take a few days for it to be back in fighting shape. For now, just relax. You don't want to strain your soul after all."_

"No worries," Anko suddenly mumbled, which startled both Naruto and Seishin. Anko slowly turned and eyed the orb and said "I will make sure he relaxes for the next few days."

"Anko-nee...When did y-"

"The minute this light bright appeared in the room, it woke me up," Anko answered, interrupting the Champion of the Shinigami."You know, I believed you before Gaki when you activated the Kioigan. I knew you never had it before but now, I double down on that belief."

Anko then leaned up and said "I am Mitarashi Anko and he is under my protection and once I speak to the Hokage, his future sensei. Whatever he will need help in, I will make sure he is up to his task."

" _Good...I shall inform Shinigami-sama at once. Thank you for your assistance, Anko-san, Shinigami-sama will appreciate that the Senshuken no Shinigami will have someone strong to assist him,"_ Seishin said before she floated to the ceiling but then she paused and said _"Also...Naruto-san...I owe you an apology."_

Naruto's eyebrow quirked at this. "Why?"

" _Back in the other world...I doubted you while I was in prison with Miyuki-san...I shouldn't have . I should have trusted you to safe Iruka and I...I am sorry. I swear to you that I will never doubt you again. You have my word,"_ Seishin declared, which made Naruto smile in reply.

"I believe you," Naruto told her.

" _Thank you. I am off. Take care. I'll see you soon!"_ Seishin said before she floated through the ceiling, which left Naruto and Anko alone.

The two remained silent for a moment before Anko laid back down beside Naruto and said "You heard the spirit ball. Rest up. I have a few things I need to take care of and quite frankly, I was actually sleeping good for once in a long time."

Naruto snorted and laid down on the bed and said "Yeah...I'm still plenty tired as well..."

The room was silent for a moment until Anko murmured "Senshuken no Shinigami. Cute title Gaki."

Naruto laughed softly and let his eyes drift closed as he replied "Thanks...Came with my new job..."

Several hours later at three in the morning, Naruto was woken up by Anko's body trembling against his, whimpers leaving her lips. Naruto could that see Anko's eyes squeezed shut and her hand gripping at his hospital gown where his chest laid, tears falling down her face.

"I-Iruka...Naru...D-Don't leave.." Anko whimpered drowsily.

Naruto didn't hesitate to wipe her eyes and murmured "It's ok Anko-nee...I'm right here."

Naruto then let his hand rub at her hair, something he had seen Iruka do to Anko as she rested and it proved to be the right thing because Anko's body relaxed against him and she was soon back to a peaceful slumber.

Naruto smiled down at her before he laid his head down and shut his eyes and whispered "I'll be here Anko-nee."

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Hokage Tower  
One Day Later**_

"A mission, at such a pivotal time?" Anko asked with a frown on her face as she looked to the Sandaime. Anko was chatting with Naruto in the hospital about the potential training she was going to put him through to hone his abilities as the Shinigami's champion but during this, she had received a summons from the Hokage.

She expected him to express his loss to her about Iruka once again but instead, she was handed a mission statement. "I know Anko-san but we are in need of your expertise during this mission. Normally, I would allow the grieving process of eight weeks but time is of the essence."

Anko looked down at the scroll, which had the stamp of "A-Rank" on it and said with a hint of reluctance "Alright...I'll accept it. But on the sole condition that when I return, I wish to be Naruto's sensei."

The Sandaime quirked his right brow and asked "Truly now?"

"Yes...It was both Iruka and my plan to request to train him. Besides, you yourself stated that since he stopped and killed that silver hair snake, that he was granted to become a genin," Anko stated.

"I did say that, yes..." the Sandaime retorted with a nod before he said "But...At the same time, he should be barred from being a shinobi due to his actions of stealing the scroll and getting one of our prized instructors killed."

"But that wasn't his fault," Anko stated with a firm tone.

"He still let someone twist his mind. We cannot have weakness like that in our shinobi," The Sandaime returned just as firm.

Anko scoffed and said "He was used by Mizuki. He said so himself. I was used by Orochimaru and you let me back into Konoha, despite bearing his mark on my neck." Anko then took a deep breath and said "Please...Iruka's dream was to see Naruto as a shinobi. He was able to stop a chūnin traitor who used him. Take that into consideration."

The Sandaime stayed silent for a moment before he said "Very well...I will give him a test against Gekkō Hayate once he is fully healed. If he passes, I will allow you to be his sensei."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Anko said with a bow.

"But it is only because I see potential in Naruto, the same Iruka and yourself see...Plus, for a mere child, not yet a shinobi, to defeat a Chūnin is something to look into. Now, get to your mission. You are to go there right away."

Anko nodded and gave another bow before she ran out of the tower.

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Entrance Gates**_

The minute Anko had come back to Naruto, she told him about both the mission and the future test that had he had once he was fully healed and while Naruto was ecstatic that he would get another shot at becoming a shinobi, he was worried about Anko going on a mission so soon after Iruka's death.

Anko, admittedly felt the same way but it was a A-rank and with the times of peace, there really wasn't a large amount of these and with the money it would bring, it help her support both her and Naruto.

Naruto reluctantly agreed with this but told her he wanted to see her off so after sneaking out of the hospital, Naruto and Anko made it to the entrance of the village where they had embraced. "So you better not get yourself killed," Naruto whispered against her as he held her tight.

Anko returned the tight embrace before she said "And leave you alone Gaki? Fuck that shit. I'll be back and when I do, we're going to get your ass up and running to become the best."

Naruto smiled before the two gave each other a high five before Anko turned and darted to her team of shinobi before they all ran out the village, with the gate closing behind them.

The moment the gate closed, Naruto turned around and looked to the village and said "Be safe Anko-nee...I'll be waiting here for you...But now that I am free, time to go visit Hinata-chan."

* * *

Rain: And that is where I'll end it. So Anko has left for a mission and Naruto is on his way to see Hinata along with some other things. So until then...

Mario: See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Rain: Hello all! This is Rain and it is time for a brand new chapter to Reaper's Blood: Final Mix and this chapter will involve quite a bit so sit tight, relax and enjoy the show!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 ** _Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Twelve_**

 ** _Konogakure no Sato  
Uzumaki Naruto_**

Naruto was carefully walking through the streets of Konoha with a subtle look of pain on his face.

Despite him walking around and moving, the wounds his body had taken on was still taking time to heal.

He had suffered from many wounds in his life but they always healed fairly quickly but these, they were taking sometime and he had no idea why.

But he said he was going to visit Hinata and that was the damn plan.

He and Hinata had been friends every since they were small brats...Well, he was the brat while she was the perfect angel and Naruto would admitted this any day of the week.

They knew anything and everything about one another. The only thing that Hinata didn't know was about him being the container for a very dangerous and powerful demon, which makes since due to him not knowing either until very recently.

And as much as he missed Anko, he missed Hinata and his little sister Hanabi as well.

And as much as he would teast the man, Naruto had missed Hiashi as well. Hyūga Hiashi at the start of his friendship with Hinata was very indifferent towards him but after the last few years, Hiashi had warmed up to him.

Naruto could safely say that while his trust in the Sandaime was quite shaken due to his revelations during his time in the other world, he had every reason in the world to still trust Hiashi.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" A commanding voice shouted from behind him.

Naruto turned around to see Hyūga Kō with two other Hyūga trailing behind him. Naruto turned around and remembered that this Hyūga was Hinata's protector since she was nearly kidnapped by Kumo back when she was six years old.

"Ah, Kō-san," Naruto greeted with a smile and a wave of his hand. "I was just on my way to the Hyūga Estates to visit Hinata-chan."

Kō nodded and said "Hiasha-sama requests your presence at once. He apologizes for sending me but he is busy meeting with his Hinata-sama."

Naruto frowned in concern and said "Understood. Lead the way."

* * *

 _ **Hyūga Mansion  
Hyūga Hiashi**_

"Hinata...Please sit down," The main clan head known as Hyūga Hiashi told his daughter softly as he motioned to the chair that sat in front of his desk with a wave of his hand.

Hyūga Hinata did as was commanded and sat down in front of the desk with a gentle "Yes Otou-sama," before Hiashi motioned for a guard to close his meeting room door.

After a few moments of silence, Hiashi took a deep breath and said "Before I begin this meeting between the three of us. My beautiful eldest daughter, I must congratulate you in achieving the rank of Genin of our village. You shall do this village proud, as you have me."

"Thank y-you father," Hinata replied with a stammer, bashful at her father's compliment.

"You don't need to thank me for being honest. When I first had you sparring against your sister, I fully believed because of your kind nature, you would take it easy on her, allowing her to win but now, despite your kind heart, you are showing that you are a formidable force within your age group. Not quite up to Neji's level but with more dedication, I can easily see you surpass him. You are truly looking the part as the princess of our clan," Hiashi told her with a hint of pride within his voice.

"I-It wasn't all me, Otou-sama," Hinata replied softly. "Naruto-kun w-was the one that gave me the confidence I-I needed to keep g-going."

Hiashi agreed with her with a nod.

From the very first meeting between Hinata and the Uzumaki, Hiashi had seen a change within his daughter. She seemed more confident about herself, despite her stammering and momentary shyness.

He then noticed that her skills in Jūken had increased as well right around the time he overheard the Uzumaki and his daughter talking about their dreams on a random spring day.

"I'm going to be the Hokage and get everyone to respect me!" He remembered Naruto exclaiming with determination in his voice as if it was yesterday. "What is your dream Hinata-chan?"

"M-My d-dream is to be rid of the Hyūga Sōke no J-Juinjutsu and unite my clan under one equal banner," He remembered Hinata replying softly.

"Then let's get super powerful at the academy to we can achieve our dreams together!" He could remember the two shaking hands and it was then where he noticed his daughter's work ethic in learning more about their prized Taijustsu.

A lot of people believed that the Uzumaki male was a troublemaker at best and a demon at worst but Hiashi could see the determination and kindness in the child and seeing this child bring out the best of his daughter throughout the years made him realize that Naruto should be seen more in this light, not as the demon fox he held within him.

He could even see his influence in his second daughter, Hanabi. When the blond Uzumaki met his second daughter, their mother, his beautiful wife had just passed away a week before and both Hinata and Hanabi were still in pieces.

Naruto came in and not only managed to cheer Hinata up, he made Hanabi smile for the first time and since then, she referred to him as "Naru-Nii," and as an added bonus, him being able to cheer the two sisters up made the two sisters that much closer to each other, which made Hiashi just that more in debt to the Uzumaki.

But now, as Hiashi sat before his eldest daughter, he felt sadness in his heart for what he will say to her.

For the past few years, the Hyūga clan elders have been pressuring him to place the dreaded Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu on one of his daughters and from the comments they made about Hinata and her surprising growth, Hanabi was looking more likely to be the one sealed.

Hiashi has seen what that seal has done to many families and despised it with all that he held in his heart. Because of their ways, his brother, Hyūga Hizashi and his nephew, Hyūga Neji, two of the best Hyūga in terms of their skills were branded to the Side Branch and with how close Hinata and Hanabi were, it would tear their family apart.

So he summoned Hinata in his personal office to tell her that Hanabi would get the dreaded seal instead of her.

But he had a plan.

He loved both of his children far too much to allow either of them to get that cursed seal but...he would need the help of a certain friend of hers.

"Hinata...I will be honest with you. If I didn't see growth in your skills, I would have brought you into this room to inform you that you would bear the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu...However, because of your growth, the Elders have come to see you as the true heir of the clan once I leave it..." Hiashi told her.

Hinata gasped in shock with her right hand in front of her mouth but then she started to shake her head. "No...T-Then that m-means H-Hanabi..."

"Must bear the seal," Hiashi replied gravely.

"But Otou-san! She cannot bear that seal!" Hinata exclaimed to him as she rose up from her seat, which made surprise flash in his eyes. "I will not allow my sister to bear that burden!"

In all of his years, Hinata had never raised her voice to him but he inwardly smiled. It just showed him how much she cares for her sister along with the influence of the normally loud Uzumaki.

"I know you won't," Hiashi replied softly, to sooth the anger his daughter was feeling.

"There is another way," Hinata said before she lowered her head to glance down at the desk beneath her fists before she muttered "There has to be another way..."

"You are right. There is another way..." Hiashi said just before the door opened to reveal Kō and Uzumaki Naruto on the other side of it.

Hinata turned around and let out a sharp gasp before she let out a stutter of "N-N-Naruto-kun?!"

Hiashi smiled as he watched his daughter lunge for Naruto and grip him in a tight hug, which he returned instantly and from the shaking of her body, Hiashi knew his daughter was close to tears.

He looked at Naruto's face and actually saw tears falling from his eyes before he buried his face against the side of her head.

He could hear the young boy whisper into her ear "Sorry I was gone for so long," and in response, she further tightened the hug and nestled her face against his neck, her soft sobs making the leader of the Hyūga clan realize that she truly was crying now.

"Idiot..." He heard Hinata whispers softly. "Apologizing because you were in a coma...O-Only you, Naruto-kun..."

'Yes...This plan will work perfectly...' Hiashi thought to himself with a pleased tone before he cleared his throat, which made Hinata break away from Naruto with a luminescent blush on her face.

"S-Sorry Otou-sama," Hinata said bashfully while Naruto scratched the back of his neck, his face also red, which made Hiashi smile.

"Both of you sit, sit," Hiashi urged, which made both Naruto and Hinata sit down in front of the desk. Hiashi nodded his thanks to Kō, who nodded and ushered the guards out of the room, leaving the three alone.

"Thank you for meeting me. I heard you had awaken from the Sandaime and tried to have my men meet you at the hospital so we could talk," Hiashi told the Uzumaki, who waved him off with a friendly grin on his face.

"I was already on my way here to see Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan so I wasn't too far," Naruto replied before he gave a frown and said "Kō-san mentioned that this meeting was dire so I wish it was under better circumstances."

"That we both agree on," Hiashi responded. "I will not keep your time with this foolishness so I will get straight to the point. You know of our clan laws Naruto-san and you know about our seal."

Naruto grunted in response, which made Hiashi grin. He got into a very long talk with Naruto when the latter found out about the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu and its effects thanks to Hinata discussing it with him so Hiashi already knew how much Naruto dislikes the seal.

'Not only because of feeling that family goes above social class but possibly because of his own seal,' Hiashi thought to himself before he said "Well, The clan heads have been pushing for me to choose between my two daughters of which one will recieve the seal. I love them both too much for them to bear that burden but there is only one option that I have left that I can do to save them...And that is where you come in."

Hiashi noticed that Naruto's frown had steadily deepened with every word he had spoken until he said "Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan mean the world to me so if I'm the only choice to keep either one of them from getting that shitty seal, I'll do whatever is needed."

Hiashi smirked as he heard the determination in Naruto's voice and the look in his eye and for a moment, he felt as if he was looking into the eyes of his old friend, Namikaze Minato.

Hiashi shook his head from that silly thought and mentally thought 'It's time to see how this goes...' before he took a deep breath said "Well. When it comes to our clan, the only time we can avert the seal if its a main branch house is if one of the siblings are married off. With Hinata being in the clear and Hanabi being in danger, if we can marry off Hinata, Hanabi would be clan heir by default or the other way around...So in short, The only way to save Hanabi is if you take either her hand or my eldest daughter's hand in marriage."

Hiashi truly didn't know what to expect when he said it but what he didn't expect was both Hinata and Naruto to drop unconscious from the sheer shock but he could see that on both of their faces were very deep blushes.

Hiashi chuckled and pressed a button on his desk and said "Can you get Kō back in here please? And prep Hinata's room and the guest room for occupants. It will be a while before the two wake up."

* * *

Rain: And that is a huge difference from my last story. In the last story, Hinata was the one in danger and ended up receiving the caged bird seal and became cold hearted as the result but because of Naruto instilling his strength into her, Hanabi is now the one in danger and Naruto has the ability to stop it so what will happen next? Well...Only one way to find out!

Mario: See you next time!


	13. AN

Rain: Hello all. Rainthelingeringsentiment is here and I want to talk to all of you. So I'm working on **Reaper's Blood:Final Mix** and buy I decided to look at my other version of Reaper's Blood and started to read it. Sure, it needs some cleaning up but it wasn't bad so i want to ask a question.

Do you guys want me to continue to update just Final Mix or do you guys want me to do both versions of Reaper's Blood? At this point, both versions are radically different with only the kioigan, Tayuya being his sister and Iruka's death being in both versions. So let me know!

Mario: see you next time!


	14. Chapter 13

Rain: Hello all, Rain here and I am back with a brand new chapter of Reaper's Blood: Final Mix and we last left of on Good Guy Hiashi making a deal with Naruto about taking Hinata's hand in marriage. What will happen next? Well...Watch and see!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Thirteen**_

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Hyūga Mansion  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

Marriage...

Out of all the things Naruto expected Hiashi to tell him, marriage to his best friend was not the thing he had in mind.

From what he and Hinata were told when they were little, marriage was for people that loved each other and while there was some...feelings that he had for her in his heart that he was confused about, Hinata was still his best friend and she should be married to someone that loves her as a lover, not as a best friend like he did...

But why did that thought bother him so much?

"Ah, you're awake Uzumaki-san," Hiashi's voice rang out from behind him.

Naruto turned around to face the elder Hyūga and said "Hiashi-san. I do apologize for falling unconscious like that."

"Nonsense," Hiashi responded kindly. "I sprang some very huge news on both you and my kind -hearted daughter. I do not blame either of you for your reactions."

"I'm glad," Naruto said softly before he said "To be honest with you Hiashi-san...I would like nothing more than to marry her. I care for both her Hanabi and I don't want them to have that seal...But I feel that Hinata should marry someone she loves...Not her best friend."

Hiashi chuckled softly and said "I understand how you feel Uzumaki-san. I had the same issues when I was told that I was to marry Hinata's mother by my elders...She was my best friend as well and I didn't feel right about her being forced to marry me."

Naruto was surprised.

Back when she was alive, Hiashi and Yukiko looked so deeply in love to Naruto so to find out that Yukiko was forced into marrying Hiashi surprised him greatly. "But...you two looked every bit in love. How did that happen?"

"It took time. As many things do. It was awkward at first, especially due to me courting someone else during the time but in time, I got to see a different side to her and vice versa. Soon, our hearts were truly connected and despite her being gone, my piece of her is still there."

Hiashi then knelt down in front Naruto and placed a hand on his right shoulder and said "It is honorable to know that you care about my daughter's feelings like you do Uzumaki-san, but it is ok if you do not wish to do this. I can always find another way if you feel uncomfortable in doing this."

"No way. I said I would marry her to protect her from the seal. If she is ok with it that is. I just don't want her to regret being married to her best friend is all," Naruto said with a determined look on his face.

With a chuckle, Hiashi gave a secretive smirk and said "Believe me Uzumaki-san, I think my daughter would approve of this arrangement more than I would." After another chuckle, Hiashi then stood up and said "Before I set the announcement, I do wish for you two to talk about it just in case."

"Yes Hiashi-san," Naruto replied before Hiashi looked to the door and smiled.

"Now...I believe there is a certain someone who has been waiting to see you since you got here," Hiashi stated as he opened the door to reveal Hanabi, who had a bright smile on her face.

"Naruto-nii!" Hanabi shrieked happily as she launched herself to the blond.

"Hanabi-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in return and caught her in his arms before the two hugged tight. Due to the sheer force Hanabi had slammed into him, it caused Naruto to spin her around, which made her laugh happily. "I missed you so much!" Naruto told the small Hyūga as he slowed to a stop.

Hanabi nuzzled her cheek against Naruto's and said "I missed you too, Naruto-nii...I was so worried when Onee-chan told me you were hurt." Hanabi then moved away with a pout and said "No more injuries or I will take you down myself."

"I can't promise that but I will try," Naruto replied sweetly before he pecked her on the forehead sweetly, which made her smile. ' _And to think, there was a time where she hated me,'_ Naruto thought to himself as he grinned at the little one in his arms.

Naruto knew how much Hanabi adored her sister so when Naruto came into the scene, Hanabi grew insanely jealous of Naruto and Hinata's friendship until one fateful day, which happened to fall on her birthday.

* * *

 _ **Flashback  
Konohagakure no Sato  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

" _We have to find her Naruto-kun before she gets too far," Hinata said softly behind the blond Uzumaki with worry in her voice._

 _Naruto nodded in agreement with a worried look of his own. It was the day of Hanabi's 4th birthday and everything had been going well so far until Hyūga Yukiko, the mother of Hinata and Hanabi had fallen unconscious while cutting the birthday cake._

 _The genetic disease that Yukiko had gotten worse to the point the doctors feared that she wouldn't make to see the end of the week. Hanabi and Hinata were devastated but none so than Hanabi. Up until her birthday, Hanabi had been acting like a total brat to her mother, from yelling and crying at her to being mean to her because her mother was growing to exhausted to spend more time with her._

 _Hanabi had been unaware of her mother's sickness until she collapsed and when she did find out, she had run away from home, causing the Hyūga clan, as well as Naruto, to search the village to find her, Not wanting another "Hyūga Affair" fiasco to occur._

" _We will find her Hinata-chan. No worries," Naruto said with a small smile on his face. The two continued their trek through the village searching for the small Hyūga heiress until they finally found the small child, being cornered in an alley by a bunch of rabid dogs._

" _Hanabi-chan!" Both Naruto and Hinata shouted in horror and without any hesitation, Naruto launched himself at the group of dogs while he shouted to Hinata "Get Hanabi-chan out of here!"_

 _The last thing Naruto remembered was hearing Hanabi's worried cry of his name._

* * *

 _ **End Flashback  
Hyūga Mansion  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

Naruto was pretty much mauled, worrying both of the Hyūga children but he got better thanks to the great doctors and Hanabi cared for him since and all it took was for him to nearly lose his life. "So...I heard a certain small Hyūga heiress visited me in the hospital," Naruto stated as he sat Hanabi down onto the floor.

"Of course I did," Hanabi replied with a pout. "I couldn't let my Naruto-nii be all alone in the hospital, with no one with him."

"Your Naruto-nii eh? When was this decided and what would Hinata-chan think of you taking away her best friend?" Naruto asked with a teasing smile on his face.

Hanabi grinned and replied "From the moment you risked your life and she could always get another one. Now come on Naruto-nii. Onee-chan told me to find you. She's at the garden."

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Hyūga Garden  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

With some help from Hanabi steering him in the right direction, Naruto walked down the long stone trail that led from the main branch house of the Hyūga clan to large green house where Hinata was.

She wasn't dressed in her normal clothes. She was dressed in a black tank top and slightly baggy pants and she had a yellow gardening apron on with yellow gardening gloves.

Naruto slowed down to a stop and watched her as she placed a potted sunflower into the ground, sweat dripping down her face. "How long has she been here?" Naruto asked, his eyes gazing at the many rows of potted plants before them.

"For three hours," Hanabi responded softly, which made Naruto frown a bit. Naruto knew that Hinata usually spent an hour gardening but when she was troubled, she would put a ton of time into it, as if working through whatever was bothering her.

Could it be that she was concerned about her father's plan?

Well...Only one way to find out.

"We finally found you Hinata-chan!" Naruto said with Hanabi on his right shoulder.

Hinata looked up from her sunflower in surprise before she gave Naruto a smile, her cheeks a bright red. "N-Naruto-kun...You have awakened," she said as Naruto said down Hanabi and nodded with a grin on his face.

"Damn right. You can't keep me down for long," Naruto responded before he said "I should have known you would be here...It looks as lovely as always. Yukiko-san would be proud of how this place looks."

"She would be," Hinata murmured softly as she pulled off her yellow gardening gloves with a small smile on her face.

The garden originally belonged to Hinata and Hanabi's mother, Yukiko but she had passed away due to a rare genetic disease that affected the Hyūga clan after Hanabi's 4th birthday. To help with the grieving process, Hinata took up the gardening skill in memory for her mother.

The garden had started off humbly small but with some time and dedication that was put in it, the garden was magnificent. "Though admittedly, after the news I received today, I don't know if the garden will be here forever..."

Naruto frowned and opened his mouth but she shook her head before she turned to Hanabi and said "Thank you for leading Naruto-kun h-here but you should be in the training hall, Hanabi-chan."

"I know Onee-chan but I wanted to spend some time with him before I did," Hanabi said with a pout before she turned to Naruto and said "But she is right...I must get going. Kō-san will be upset if I am late for training. "

Naruto sat Hanabi on the ground and gave her a quick peck on the top of her head, which made Hanabi smile before she said her goodbyes and waltzed away to her training class, leaving the two alone.

"You must have a lot on your mind, Hinata-chan," Naruto said once Hanabi was out of sight.

Hinata let out a sigh as she said "I do..." Naruto had been around Hinata long enough to know that she was highly upset due to the empty tone she had in her voice along with the blank look on her face so Naruto knew exactly what he needed to do to cheer her up.

Naruto walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, which she instantly returned, her arms wrapping around him just as tight and it was then he heard her muffled sobs, which was accompanied by her body shaking.

"It's ok Hinata-chan. Let it all out..." Naruto told her gently.

Naruto understood why she was upset. For her entire life, her dream was to united the main branch and side branch together under one united clan and to rid the clan of the Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu but now that the Hyūga clan elders have decided to force Hiashi into deciding who would bare the seal, her dream was lost.

For the next thirty minutes, the Hyūga princess wept in Naruto's arms. Naruto had now sat down and Hinata was on his lap, her face still buried into his chest but Naruto didn't mind this at all. He had been in this position several times in their four years together as best friends.

Hinata pulled away from the Uzumaki blond and murmured "I'm sorry Naruto-kun...I shouldn't have broken down that way..."

"Don't be Hinata-chan," Naruto responded sweetly. "That's what friends are for. Besides, your dream was just taken from you. If my dream to be the Hokage was taken from me, I would be crushed as well."

Hinata nodded in agreement and said "And I would be consoling you as well."

"I know," Naruto responded softly.

The two gazed at each other for a moment before the two began to blush. "So...About the marriage proposal? What do you think about it?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Truthfully? I'm sad that in order to keep me and Hanabi seal free that I have to be married..." Hinata started, which made Naruto frown inwardly but that instantly changed when Hinata gave him a tender smile and said "But if that means marrying someone near and dear to me like you? I'm happy."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief then let out a small laugh. "I agree. I was worried that you were going to hate it."

"Why would I Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked with a giggle. "I mean after all...We already are." Hinata then removed her left glove to reveal an orange rubber-band that was wrapped on her left ring finger.

Naruto gazed at her hand and let a small grin appear on his face.

* * *

 _ **Flashback  
Konohagakure no Sato  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

 _Naruto was having a great day._

 _It started out normal enough with him waking up earlier that morning, eating his ramen at Ichikaru's and then he starting his regularly scheduled prank session and now it was time for him to meet Hinata at the park._

 _As Naruto was walking to the park to meet with Hinata, he noticed that there was this couple that was talking on a bench in front of the park._

 _Normally this wouldn't be an odd thing but suddenly, the man knelt down on one knee and pulled out something a box and said something "Will you marry me?"_

 _He then watched the woman touch her face softly with tears falling from her eyes. He then saw the woman nod and gave the man kneeling before her a huge smile as the man slide that thing on her left ring finger._

 _The woman then hugged the man and then the man gave her a loving kiss on the lips as people around them clapped and cheered. "Marry?" Naruto said to himself in a questioning tone, tilting his head in confusion. "What does that mean?"_

 _After waiting for everyone to leave, Naruto marched into the park and waited patiently at their designated meeting area for Hinata and when she arrived, Naruto walked up to Hinata and asked "Hinata-chan. What does "marry" Mean?"_

 _Hinata stared at her friend with the same confused look that was on his face and said "I d-don't know. Why do y-you ask, N-Naruto-kun?"_

 _Naruto then told her what happened before she arrived and when he was done, she still looked confused. "Maybe Jii-san will know something about this 'Marry' thing," Naruto said before grabbing Hinata's hand, making her blush, and together, the two friends started their trek to the Hokage tower._

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Hokage Tower  
Uzumaki Naruto **_

_"Hiya Ilia-chan!" Naruto said with a right smile as a young woman with long platinum blond hair that was in a ponytail, blue iris-less eyes, a white shirt, a white dress and a pair of white shoes._

 _Her name was Yamanaka Ilia, the mother of Yamanaka Ino, and she was currently typing something on the computer in front of her._

 _"Ah, hello Naruto-kun, Hyūga-sama," Ilia said with a smile as well as a small bow towards Hinata which the smaller girl returned. Naruto, completely clueless about the bowing simply smiled and asked "Is Jii-san busy today Ilia-chan?"_

 _Ilia looked at the boy and said "Yes, he's with the council at the moment so you will have to come back and see him later."_

 _Naruto kicked the ground while saying in a disappointed tone "Aw man, I had something important to ask him."_

 _"What's so important that you have to ask him?" Iila asked curiously._

 _Naruto tilted his head and replied "Me and Hinata-chan wanted to ask him what 'marry' means."_

 _Ilia stared at the boy for a second and then smiled as she asked "I see. Well, why do you want to know about that?"_

 _Naruto then told her about what he encountered at the park before meeting Hinata and when he was done, Ilia giggled and replied "Well then Naruto-kun. I'll just tell you about it instead."_

 _Naruto smiled and sat down on the ground to listen to what she had to say while Hinata did the same. "Well..." Iila began. "Being married, which is the word you were trying to say Naruto, is being with the person that you love...It's pretty much like being together with you best friend for the rest of your life, no matter what happens. Though sickness and health."_

 _Naruto looked to Hinata and asked "So it's about marrying your best friend?" Naruto then gave a bright smile and said "Then why don't we get married, Hinata-chan?"_

 _Hinata and Ilia were surprised when Naruto asked that but Ilia smiled when Hinata looked down at the ground with a huge blush on her face. "I-If you w-want too," Hinata stuttered out with a faint smile on her face._

 _Naruto smiled and gave her a big hug which made Ilia go "Aww," as Hinata hugged him back._

 _Naruto then tilted his head upwards and remembered that the man had put something on the lady's left ring finger and letting go of Hinata then reached behind his long untamed hair and pulled off an orange rubber band, letting his hair fall from his pony tailed shape._

 _"I saw the man give the woman something on her left other middle finger so I wanted to do it too," Naruto explained as he held up Hinata's small left hand and wrapped the orange rubber band around her ring finger and smiled._

 _"Now we're married Hinata-chan!" Hinata smiled at the blond haired boy, despite the huge blush on her face before she gave him another hug which he returned._

 _Naruto then realized he missed something he thought he was supposed to do so released the hug and gave her a small peck on the lips._

 _"The guy did that so I thought I was supposed too do it too," Naruto explained with a tilt of the head as Ilia watched Hinata's face turn so red, it would make an apple jealous._

 _"N-N-Naruto-kun...Kissed me…" Hinata said in dazed tone before she closed her eyes and slumped to the ground._

 _The last words she heard before completely blacking out, causing Ilia plenty of amusement but made Naruto alarmed and worried yell of "Hinata-chan!"_

* * *

 _ **End Flashback  
Konohagakure no Sato  
Hyūga Mansion  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

"You kept that thing?" Naruto asked happily.

"Of course I-I did. Why wouldn't I keep it? My best friend gave it to me..." Hinata replied softly.

Naruto smiled and said "I'm glad. I was truly worried that you wouldn't want to do this. I didn't want your father to force you into something that you didn't want to do..."

"You care so much about my feelings Naruto-kun. It's very sweet," Hinata said with a blush on her face.

"You are my best friend after all," Naruto replied before he shut his eyes and said "Hinata-chan, there is something that I need to talk to you about."

Hinata tilted her head curiously and asked "What about?"

"About what happened during and after I took the Forbidden scroll..." Naruto responded with a seriously look on his face.

And so Naruto recounted all that had occurred from his fight with Mizuki up until he woke up to Anko crying and when he was done, Hinata sat there with a stunned look on her face.

"So...What do you think?" Naruto asked softly.

"I-I don't even know where to start..." Hinata stammered out. "You're the champion of the Shinigami...You have a sister and the most pressing part is that your mother is alive somewhere...But not even the Shinigami knows where she is..."

"Yeah...I have to speak to Jii-san about this...But at the same time..." Naruto drifted off as anger began to build up in his veins. "He lied to me...He said I was the only child of nameless parents...And yet my mother is alive and I have a sister. The only thing I don't know is my father...But if he knew about my sister and mother, he knows who my father is..."

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun..." Hinata told him with her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You've been hit with so much in so short of time...I'm just adding to the amount of stress you must be in."

"Nonsense," Naruto replied instantly. "I'm glad your father told me of this and I'm glad I get a chance to help you and Hanabi-chan. I may have a ton on my plate but hell, this is by far the easiest thing to deal with."

Hinata giggled and said "Well, you know I'll be with you every step of the way Naruto-kun..."

"I know," Naruto replied as his grin began to grow. "You are my future wife after all."

And with those words, Hinata's blush became so deep, she fell out of his lap, unconscious.

"Hinata-chan!"

* * *

Rain: And that is where I will end this chapter. So I primarily used this chapter to show the relationship between our lovely Uzumaki and Hinata, Hiashi and Hanabi. The next chapter will delve into Naruto awakening the first spirit as well as get our third girl Ino into the mix.

And to add on to the AN I left before this chapter. I do plan on continuing this fic, along with the original version of this fic if you guys want me to do both so this bad boy isn't going anywhere. I may alter this some if people do want me to do both and if that happens, I will let you all know So until the next chapter...

Mario: See you next time!


	15. Chapter 14

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter. So far, a lot of people enjoy both this version and my original but I will give it some more time before I make my final decision on the matter. So until then, let's start the show!

Mario: Here we go!

* * *

 _ **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Fourteen**_

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Training Grounds  
Uzumaki Naruto **_

"There, I finally got here. I really need to find a better training ground," Naruto said as he tossed down his orange jacket to the ground and looked around.

The training ground was in a pretty secluded area, lush with bright green grass beneath his feet, tons of trees around the area and a normal sized waterfall. This was Anko's and Iruka's training ground and now, it was his own.

But he didn't come here to train today. He came here for some peace and quiet so he could meditate and get his Kioigan spirit awakened. It had been two days since he visited the Hyūga clan and his wife to be and to Naruto, that was enough time for his body and soul to recover to get this process started.

Naruto got on top of his jacket and sat in the lotus position and took a deep breath. "Just remember what Hinata taught you...Slow steady breaths. Find your center and continue from there..." Naruto said to himself as he placed his hands in front of his chest and interlocked his fingers before sitting them on his lap palm side up with his thumbs away from his hand and touching.

And then he began to breath slowly.

Naruto felt like a fool sitting there but the more he sat there, the more at ease he became. It felt strange. It felt that his chakra was pushing against the ground gently along with some chakra flowing from his body.

It was then his he felt something pulling him deeper into his mind...deeper...

* * *

 _ **Unknown Location  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

Naruto opened his eyes and immediately blinked in confusion.

When meditated, he expected to find his Kioigan spirit right away but instead, he found himself standing in a large chamber with a huge golden gate in front of him.

Where in the world was he?

Naruto walked to the gate in front of him and peered inside of it and through the darkness, he could see a humanoid figure sitting on the ground. "Hey!" Naruto shouted. "Is that you Miyuki-sensei?"

He could see the figure lift its head up from its bowed position and said **"The snow spirit...She is...Not here...Only the damned..."**

Naruto frowned.

The voice was rough but Naruto could hear remorse in his voice.

"The damned..." Naruto repeated but before he could follow up, a small portal appeared beside Naruto, which made him turn to it.

Within the portal, he saw the image of a gentle snowfall in a large area and what looked to be a crystal in the middle of it.

" **That portal will lead you straight to where snow spirit is...Now hurry, I do not wish for you to know who I am...Not now...Not ever..."** The rough voice explained.

"You sound so sad...Are you ok?" Naruto said softly as he took a step forward but then a burst of crimson chakra flew from the gate and smashed into Naruto, who fell to the ground in surprise.

" **Please...Go..."** The voice said as Naruto slowly rose to his feet. **"And hopefully when you are done...You will forget all about this encounter..."**

Naruto frowned and opened his mouth to speak but then he closed it. Whoever this person was, ..."Alright...I will honor your request," Naruto said before he gave a small bow and said "Thank you for showing me the way."

" **You don't have to thank me,"** The voice said softly. **"I don't deserve it after all that I have done...Now go do what you must do, Uzumaki Naruto..."** Hesitantly, Naruto nodded and walked to the portal before he stopped and looked into the gate. He could see the shadowed figure lower its head back down.

Naruto didn't know why but he felt sadness and regret coming from the figure behind the gate and in turn, he felt his own heart fill with that very same sadness.

"Whoever you are in there...I don't know what has you like this but it'll be ok..." Naruto said before he stepped through the portal, just barely hearing the reply of the voice.

 **"It will never be ok...Not anymore..."**

* * *

 _ **Naruto's Mindscape  
Miyuki's Domain  
Uzumaki Naruto**_

Once Naruto stepped out of the portal, he found himself stepping into the cold snow beneath him. The entire area was blanketed in snow that sparkled around him due to the sunlight in the air. Through the gentle snowfall around him, Naruto saw a white crystal hovering in the middle of the area.

The portal that lead him to the gate closed behind him and Naruto lowered his head with a sigh. _'Whoever you are...I'm sorry you feel such sadness...Maybe one day, I can know who you were and help you heal from it...'_ Naruto thought to himself before he turned back to his objective, pushing aside the thoughts of the sad man behind the gate for now.

Naruto walked towards the crystal and once he was in front of it, he saw Miyuki's sleeping form within it. "Alright...What do I do now?" Naruto asked himself as he crossed his arms with a frown on his face before his eyes widened.

"Bust the crystal! Duh!" Naruto exclaimed before cocked his fist back and punched the crystal as hard as he could before he screamed in pain as he pulled his hand back and cradled it with his other hand as he crouched down away from the crystal.

"Damn that hurt," Naruto whimpered out with his bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Ok...That didn't work...What else can I do?" Naruto wondered to himself with a frown on his face before another idea formed in his head.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Several clones appeared around the crystal, with the real Naruto a few feet away from them. "Alright...Now!" Naruto shouted. The clones grasped onto the crystal as Naruto said "Bushin...Bakuha!" Naruto shouted.

The clones began to glow brightly before all of them exploded, causing tons of snow to rise into the air. The snow fell down and to Naruto's annoyance, the crystal was still there, unscathed. "Oh come the fuck on..." Naruto groaned out as he smacked his hand against his face.

"Ok...So punching didn't work. Blowing the fuck out of it didn't work...That's what she said...So what else can I do?" Naruto asked. He had sat down in front of the crystal with his arms crossed, his eyes closed in thought.

He then opened his eyes and said "Wait...That's it! Why didn't I think of this earlier?!" Naruto stood up and turned to the crystal and said "Awaken Kioigan!" His ocean blue eyes then faded into a dull gray. "Kioigan: Awaken Miyuki!" Naruto shouted as he pointed to the crystal.

The crystal began to splinter while Miyuki's body began glow brightly in the crystal all while Naruto's eyes began to glow as well and with an explosion of light, the crystal shattered into millions of pieces while the glowing Miyuki landed on the ground on her knees.

Naruto fell onto one knee as his eyes faded away to reveal his Kioigan, which was now in Miyuki's element. "Well...That was painful," Naruto muttered as he stood up and walked towards Miyuki and held out his hand and said "Welcome back to the land of the living...I think."

"Thank you..." Miyuki whispered softly as Naruto pulled her to her feet with a smile on her face. "It was rough but I feel so much more comfortable now..."

"I'm glad. Make yourself at home in my soul," Naruto said with a welcoming smile before he frowned and added "That is what family does, right?"

Miyuki let out a sigh and said "I knew you would be angered by that revelation..."

"Damn right," Naruto agreed. "Why didn't you tell me? I can get the others not knowing but you did...We may be separated by decades but we are still family..."

"I didn't know where things were going to go Naruto," Miyuki said softly. "I was going to tell you when everything solidified..."

Naruto stared at her for a moment before he nodded and said "I can understand that...And I can forgive you for that. I mean, things were pretty hectic then but I wish for there to be no secrets between any of us. We are all family here."

"That I can agree with," Miyuki said with a smile.

Naruto tilted his head. When he first met Miyuki, she was kind but a little cold but the Miyuki he was talking to now seemed to be slightly more opened with him. More...Warm.

Despite the current climate around them.

"Then...We have a deal," Naruto said before he grinned and said "Oba-chan."

Miyuki blinked in surprise before she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Such a child," Miyuki said affectionately before she said "Now...It's time for us to train."

"Train...But I just woke you up," Naruto whined.

"Very true but I have to get your body used to using the Kioigan in the real world," Miyuki replied. "Back in my world, chakra was all around us. You didn't have to worry about chakra exhaustion but now that we are on the mortal plane, that is a threat. Not to mention, making the weapons you did back then will have a bit more of a challenge so we have to train to get your real body used to it."

"Makes sense..." Naruto said after a moment of thought. "Well then...Let's get started!"

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure no Sato  
Yamanaka Clan Training Ground  
Yamanaka Ino**_

"Low!"

Ino twisted her body while swinging her right leg to deliver a low reverse roundhouse kick to the punching bag her father, Yamanaka Inochi was holding.

"Middle!"

Ino snapped up from her kneeling position as she twisted her body and used her right leg once again to land a middle reverse roundhouse kick to the punching bag.

"High!"

Keeping with her momentum, Ino then leapt into the air to deliver a high reverse roundhouse kick with her right leg.

"Hook!"

Ino landed on the ground just to twist her body as she jumped from the ground and landed a hard kick to the top of the bag with her left leg.

"Multi then switch!"

Ino took a step back and used her right leg to deliver a low side kick then followed up with a medium side kick then ended it with a upper side kick before she twisted her body and kicked the bag with a hard middle side kick but without warning, her right leg gave out, which caused her to fall to the ground in pain.

Inoichi smiled and lowered the bag and held out his hand, which she took gratefully. "Thanks Otou-san," Ino said as she stood up on shaky legs, which were completely bruised from the amount she had been kicking at the stupid sand filled bag.

"You are doing great sweetheart," Inoichi said as he patted her head affectionately. "We'll have you to kunoichi standards yet."

Ino glowered at her father and said "But I'm already a kunoichi. I-Iruka-sensei gave me my hiate-ite so I must be at the standard. I don't see why I have to train like this."

"Iruka, Kami rest his soul, did a good job teaching you many things but he taught you how to be a kunoichi in a time of peace. I have to keep you as strong as possible because you never know when a new enemy can appear," her father explained softly.

Ino nodded slightly and said "I understand Otou-san but I don't want to get super muscular, you know? I do wanna look nice and slim for Sasuke-kun. He wouldn't want to go out with a body builder for a girl."

Inoichi grumbled to himself then said out loud "I could care less about Sasuke. I will train you to the ground a hundred times more to make sure you're well protected. And what was my rule by the way?"

Ino grumbled to herself then said "Never talk about Sasuke in your presence."

"And since you broke that rule, what does that mean?" Inoichi asked.

Ino swallowed heavily and said "A jog around the village..."

Inoichi grinned and said "Well then, get to it."

Ino grumbled out "Yes Daddy..." before she dragged herself to the open gate then turned to her father to give him a puppy dog look to her father. Inoichi smiled before he shook his head and motioned for her to go with upward jerk of the head.

Ino stuck out her tongue at her father then jogged out from the gate and away from the training ground.

Ino just didn't understand.

Ever since that day she graduated, her father had forced this training onto her and trained her to the ground every single day. Perhaps he saw something in her that made him concerned enough to make her suffer by putting her through this hellish training.

Hell if she knew.

But as she continued her jog she suddenly began to feel colder, which was strange considering how hot it was moments ago but Ino shrugged it off as a cold breeze and continued on with her jog but as she neared a small clearing that had a dirt trail leading into a secluded area, the coldness grew to the point that she stopped and shivered.

The cold was so unnatural during this time of year that she knew something was going on and this area was the cause of it but should she really investigate whatever this was? I mean, it causing a normal summer day to be as cold as winter?

Ino stood there for a moment, her eyes locked on the trail that lead through a few bushes then back on her normal jogging path before she said "Damn it, I'm too nosy for my own good. I have to see what's going on with this."

With her mind made up, Ino walked away from her normal route and jogged down the trail that led into the small forest then continued to follow the trail on both the ground and the air. She knew she was on the right track due to the coldness in the air increasing to the point that she began to see her breath.

After a few minutes of walking through the trail of the forest, she came upon an opening and when she walked through and in all of his glory, there was Naruto.

He may have had his back turned her way but he was the only blonde in Konoha other than the Yamanaka clan and his blond was as bright as the sun while hers was more of a platinum blond.

And he was hovering in mid-air with wisps of of both cold air and chakra flowing from his body, with a thick layer of icy blue chakra outlining his body.

But that wasn't all she saw.

Beneath his clothes, she could see thick lines glowing beneath his clothes and the Kanji "Senshuken no Shinigami" shining bright on his back.

"Champion of the Shinigami?" Ino read out softly.

She then noticed his head was slowly turning and when she saw his eyes, they weren't the ocean blue she was used to. Instead, they were an ice blue and there was a silver-white glowing snowflake within his irises.

Ino felt her heart stop at the breath taking sight of his eyes in this new look. She always found that Naruto's eyes were quite beautiful, even though he was a bratty, mischievous prankster but seeing his eyes like this was a different type of beautiful.

It was more serene to her.

She felt as peace gazing into the eyes that Naruto had.

 _'But how did he get these eyes?'_ Ino asked herself. Naruto wasn't from some well known clan who had a Dōjutsu like Sasuke or Hinata and yet she couldn't understand why his eyes weren't their normal ocean blue.

She was so entranced by these eyes that she didn't even register that Naruto had placed his feet on the ground and turned around to look her more clearly. "Ino..." Naruto breathed out, his voice calmer than she had ever heard it before.

It sounded so...unlike him to be so calm like this. He was always like a turbulent wind, causing mass chaos for any and everyone in his path.

Not this...Whatever this was.

"N-Naruto," Ino stammered out. She wasn't exactly expecting him to speak. "Y-You..." Just then, the cold air began to fade away, along with the chakra the was flowing from Naruto's body and with a blink, the serene eyes Naruto had was gone, revealing the ocean blues that she had come to know.

Naruto suddenly took a step forward and dropped face first to the ground, unconscious.

"Holy shit! Naruto!" Ino shouted, finally finding her voice as she ran to him and knelt by his side. "Wake up you baka!"

But as much as she shook, Naruto didn't wake up.

Ino frowned and grabbed his arm and placed it around her shoulder and said "Don't worry. I'll get you some help."

But what she realized was that despite the area being extremely cold moments ago, Naruto's body was still warm to the touch.

But what had she seen?

Why was his eyes the way they were and why did he have that Kanji on his back.

Ino didn't know but as soon as he awakens, she was going to find out.

* * *

Rain: And that is the end of this chapter. So now Ino and Naruto have met but what will happen next? Only one way to find out!

Mario: See you next time!


	16. Chapter 15

Rain: And I am back with a brand new chapter. So, I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic so far and I hope you guys continue to do so. Now with my last AN, I asked everyone if they wanted me to continue with just this Version of Reaper's Blood or if they wanted me to run both at the same time. So far, its pretty neck and neck so I'm surprised. I didn't realize they both were well liked. As I wait to see which one wins out, It's time for the next chapter! So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Luigi: Here we go!

* * *

 **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Fifteen**

 ** **Konohagakure no Sato – Hokage Tower  
Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen****

"And that was all she told me, Hokage-sama," Yamanaka Inoichi stated as Sarutobi listened to him, trying to hide the horror from his face.

Inoichi had just finished telling him what his daughter, Yamanaka Ino had memory shared with him when she found the young Uzumaki male and the Hokage was not pleased whatsoever. If anything, he was feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

 _'I can't believe this has occurred...After all of these years,'_ Sarutobi thought with misery as Inoichi stood there, no doubt waiting for him to speak upon what his daughter had discovered about Naruto.

"And...You are sure it said "Champion of the Shinigami" on his back?" Sarutobi asked, just needing to clarify once more if that was the case.

"I doubled checked her memories. It did say that," Inoichi replied with a nod.

"I see...Thank you for your report Yamanaka-san. You are dismissed," Sarutobi told him with a wave of his hand. Inoichi nodded and made the "Tiger" seal for the "Shunshin no Jutsu" but before he could flicker away, Sarutobi suddenly said "Before you go, did anyone else see or just your daughter?"

Inoichi paused and said "Only my daughter. Why Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi paused.

For a moment, he was going to tell Inoichi to wipe her memory of the event but then he decided against it. If what was happened to Kushina was happening to Naruto, there would be no point as she would only see it again.

"It is nothing. Thank you Inoichi," Sarutobi said.

Inoichi nodded and flickered away, leaving a swirl of leaves floating lazily to the ground before vanishing upon impact.

Sarutobi pressed a button on his phone and said into the speaker "Iila-chan. I am stepping out for the day. Cancel all of my meetings and reschedule them for tomorrow."

 _'Understood Hokage-sama,'_ Iila's voice responded through the phone's intercom. Sarutobi stood up and walked to the balcony behind him and opened it, allowing the cool air to enter his office.

He removed his cloak and hat and placed it on his chair only to replace it with a black cloak that had a hood attached, lifted up the hood to cover his head head walked outside and formed the "Tiger" seal and flickered away.

Moments later, Sarutobi appeared at the bottom of the Hokage Monument. He glanced up to make sure he was in the shadow of his sculpted head before he pulled out a kunai and sliced his palm, drawing blood from it before he placed his hand on the base.

Seconds later, the area where he had placed his bloody palm, the wall began to ripple like a pond that had a pebble thrown into it before a blood red appeared and then vanished into particles.

Seconds later, Sarutobi walked through the stone, which still rippled before stopping, looking as if nothing had just transpired.

Sarutobi was now standing in a dirt made tunnel within the monument and with a sigh, he began his long trek through the tunnel until he saw a silver door at the end of it. Once again, he placed his bloody palm, still slick with blood, on a scanner beside the door.

" _Welcome, Saru-u-utobi H-Hiruzen,"_ a mechanical female voice stuttered out before the door opened, to reveal a very large chamber. Within that chamber had three stand that sat side by side in an arc, leading to one large stand in the middle of the room, all of them having shattered glass on and around the stands with dried up bloodstain splatter were on the walls and the floor.

But Sarutobi didn't pay any of that mind.

What he did focus on was the large stand in the middle of the room and the kanji written in the steel on the stand which read "Uzumaki Kushina" on it.

Sarutobi let out a sigh filled with regret as he stared at that name.

He could still remember that night.

The night where she disappeared...

* * *

 ** **Konohagakure no Sato – Eleven years Ago  
Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen****

 _Sarutobi, followed closely by Danzō and the main scientist behind this project, walked into the laboratory, due to the door being busted wide open, and was met with pure chaos._

 _There was blood everywhere on top of the stainless steel, pooling out of the headless corpses of the scientists but the one thing he noticed was all of the containers were broken and empty. The small fetuses growing in the six containers were destroyed._

 _He then turned to look at the large container and then his heart stopped._

 _She was gone._

" _No..." He breathed out as he rushed to the broken container that sat in the middle of the room. "How...?" Sarutobi breathed out before he turned his head to the green haired scientist."How did she get taken?"_

" _I don't know Hokage-sama," the scientist replied shakily, as if she was going to faint. Sarutobi realized he was smothering the room with Killing Intent and reeled it back in order so she could speak._

" _One minute, we were collecting samples and then an explosion happened. All of these masked men came i-in and...started to destroy everything and slaughter all of them. I barely got away to get to y-you..."_

" _I cannot believe this," Danzō said with disbelief in his voice. "Only you and I know of this place Sarutobi...How could anyone know she was in here?"_

 _'This cannot be happening,'_ _Sarutobi thought with an empty tone as Danzō grilled the scientist beside them. All he could do was stare at the destroyed container in front of him that read her name._

 _'All that work...All of the things I had to do to get 'Project Phoenix' in order...The lies I had to deliver...All pointless...All of it...' Sarutobi looked at the headless corpses around him and said blankly "Someone told them...We had a mole. The only reason I know this is because of the headless around us. They know that the Yamanaka clan can read the minds of the deceased so they took their heads as well to keep us totally blind at who our culprits are..."_

 _Sarutobi then laughed, which made Danzō look at him as if he had gone insane. "Danzō...I want this place scoured for clues. Get our best trackers in here and get as many scents as they can...I want this place turned over until no clues are left."_

" _Understood," Danzō said before he rushed out of the room with the scientist staying in the room with Sarutobi._

" _So...All of the samples we collected...They were destroyed as well?" Sarutobi asked._

 _The scientist nodded and replied "I know the successful ones we had in the containers were destroyed. As for the other samples, I will need to check. However...They were extremely thorough and I believe they may have..."_

 _Sarutobi nodded, drained of all that had just occurred._

" _All of that work...For nothing..."  
_

* * *

 ** **Konohagakure no Sato – Present Time  
Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen****

The plan had been simple.

When they found Kushina's heavily, barely breathing body clutching onto Naruto's sleeping form, they worked for an entire year to get her body healed but during that time, Danzō had come up with an idea.

They knew of her Dōjutsu, the Kioigan and new of its powerful abilities and with her being one of the last Uzumaki, Danzō suggested that they use some of her unfertilized eggs and various anonymous donor's sperm to rebuild the Uzumaki clan to gain the Dōjutsu for their village.

At first, Sarutobi denied the request, remembering that he wanted Naruto and his sister Tayuya to be reunited with their mother one she healed and woke up.

But when a few weeks passed and it was realized that she was deep in a coma, he then decided to go along with the idea. Their village was recovering from the war and thanks to the Kyūbi, they were very under powered as a shinobi nation.

Having the very powerful Uzumaki clan in their village would make them untouchable, especially with the powerful Kioigan on their side.

So to his shame, Project Phoenix was a go once she was fulled healed. They had failed quite a few times trying to do vitro fertilization but just when they were going to scrap the project, one succeeded.

And soon, five more followed but then when Kushina was stolen, the six fetuses, and many of the other samples were destroyed, leaving them with nothing.

And now that Naruto was showing the same abilities his mother had...It just bought back the many failures he held onto for so long.

And this wasn't even the worst of them...

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Yamanaka Residence  
Yamanaka Ino**

"I cannot believe Otou-san decided I was suitable to watch you, baka," an annoyed Ino muttered to herself as she sat on the love seat in her living room, currently reading her favorite magazine.

After she had bought Naruto home to her father, Inoichi had left her in charge of watching the blond Uzumaki while he left to inform the Hokage of what she had seen and with her mother being gone, she was the only one there to watch him.

And that had been one hour ago.

She was halfway through her Shinobi Magazine when she heard Naruto groan and open his eyes before he shut them and mumbled "This is not where I sleep."

"Of course not baka," Ino replied as she shut her magazine and sat it on the table beside her chair. "This is my place. I took you here after you passed out."

"Ah..." Naruto replied as he leaned up from the couch and stretched out his limbs. "Well, thanks for bringing me back here. I don't think it would have been a good thing if someone not you saw me passed out."

"Why is that?" Ino asked him.

Naruto gave her a small grin before he shook his head and said "Eh, don't worry about it."

Ino let a frown appear on her face at the hesitance in Naruto's eyes that showed for a moment before it was snuffed out, replaced by the familiar easing going look Naruto normally had. "Alright..." Ino replied. "I'll let it slide for now. In the meantime, what the hell are you doing out of the hospital?"

"I got better?" Naruto replied with a questioning tone.

"I can see that but how? We were all told at the academy that you had suffered some really terrible wounds and were in a coma. I even went to see you with the others and we saw how terrible you looked. From you to go from that to back to normal isn't possible," Ino explained.

Naruto gave her a questioning look before he smirked and said "I've always healed fast. You think those injuries could ever keep the might Uzumaki Naruto down? I think not."

"Glad to see you're still you in that way..." Ino mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked her with a frown on his face.

"Don't play dumb with me," Ino said with a sneer. "Remember, I saw your ass floating in a ball of chakra...With your body glowing...a-and your eyes! They w-were..." Ino drifted off when a memory of those piercing yet serene icy blue eyes appeared in her mind.

"Beautiful..." she whispered, unaware that she had just spoken out loud instead of within her mind. When Ino did realize this, her eyes widened in horror and said "N-Not that your normal eyes aren't freaking gorgeous. I-I meant...More b-beautiful than usual...O-Oh..." Ino stammered out, flustered heavily over both of her mistakes but that's when she saw Naruto.

He was laughing.

Not the loud, boisterous laughing she was used to. But it was more subdued. More genuine to her ears. "Stop laughing at me you jerk," Ino said with a pout and to her surprise, Naruto did stop but he had this small smile on his face.

"Thanks for the compliment," Naruto told her, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Baka...Stop trying to change the subject," Ino said, her face becoming serious. "The last I saw of you was you in a coma...Now I see you floating inside of visible chakra with those eyes and the marks and the Kanji on your back, it makes no sense. Not to mention, your personality seems off too."

"It does?" Naruto asked her. "And here I thought I was being normal."

"When are you ever normal?" Ino replied.

Naruto tilted his head and looked to the ceiling with squinted eyes before his lips turned upwards into a grin. "Ah, touché," Naruto said.

"The last time I saw you, you were a loud mouth idiot running around saying "You are going to be the Hokage" and "Dattebayo" and things like that but in talking to you, you seem so much more subdued. And add that to all that I saw, It's like day and night. What happened to you?" Ino asked.

Naruto stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before he shut his eyes, let out a sigh and replied with "Look, I get what you're asking but...There is a long story behind all that you saw and I don't want to get into it right now."

"But why?" Ino asked.

Instead of answering her, Naruto responded "Look...I get that you need to know because you're stuck on "nosy mode" but honestly, why should I tell you?"

Ino blinked in surprise.

She wasn't expecting to be asked that question so bluntly like that.

Also, when did Naruto get so blunt?

"I mean...Yeah, you helped me but this is the first time we've talked like normal people. Usually, its you and Sakura yelling at me and putting me down, especially when Sasuke is in view. Hell, I'm even surprised you know my real name, considering you call me "Baka" all of the time. So tell me Ino, why should I tell you anything about what is going on in my life when you never cared up until a mystery appeared within it?"

Ino opened her mouth to respond but then she closed it, her lips turned into a frown.

She couldn't answer.

"That's what I thought," Naruto told her with a sigh. "You only care about what happened to me. Not about me as the person. Then again, you never did. You made that painfully clear throughout the years. You, Sakura, many others. The only ones who didn't were Hinata and her family, Iruka-sensei and Anko...All anyone else saw was the outcast prankster in orange..."

Naruto then stood up and said "But I've sat around enough. I have to get going. I haven't eaten at all since I got out of the hospital," Naruto replied, his stomach growling to emphasize this.

"But I will leave you with this. Instead of trying to get some juicy gossip out of me and what I know, why don't you try being an actual, genuine friend to me? Maybe then you might get somewhere. Thanks for helping me Ino but let's not make that a habit," Naruto said before he turned and walk out of her house, leaving Ino there to sit in her living room.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Streets of Konoha  
Uzumaki Naruto**

" _You seemed a bit harsh to her Naruto-san,"_ Miyuki stated as Naruto shut the door behind him and walked down the road.

 _'It doesn't matter to me,'_ Naruto responded as he slipped his hands into his pockets. _'I know that she helped me and I appreciate her for that but why should I be nice to those who spent years yelling at me and hurting my feelings time and again when all I wanted was to be friends with everyone? She needed to hear that for a damn long time and it was only a matter of time before I exploded anyways.'_

Naruto frowned and continued with _'And yeah, I was harsh with her but who cares other than her? Besides, I have much more on my plate than to worry about Yamanaka Ino and to be honest, I have no time to worry about anyone else that doesn't have Mitarashi or Hyūga as their surname."_

Naruto paused mid-step as a feeling of realization hit him.

This...Was the first time he had ever thought like that before.

Everyone looked down on him, treated him horribly, belittled him and on some occasions, outright tried to attack him.

He thought that if he became the Hokage, everyone would see him less than the outcast he felt and respect him but now, as he stood in the middle of the street, he realized that what they thought no longer mattered to him.

Naruto laughed out loud, ignoring the looks of annoyance and spite on many of the villagers around him as he continued to walk. _'I guess I should thank Ino for something else because I just realized something...I have changed. I don't have to be the loudmouth, proclaiming he wants to be the Hokage anymore. I don't have to seek out people that only want to belittle me to have friends or to gain respect...Because I already have the few who do care for me. Not to belittle me...not to hurt me...But because they legitimately care about me...And they mean more to me than the respect of a world that never wanted me.'_

 _'It took me losing Iruka and nearly losing my life to see this...Ain't that about a bitch?'_ Naruto shook his head as he laughed once more before he began to walk again. ' _I may have lived but the old Uzumaki Naruto. The outcast, the prankster, the jokester was killed the same day Iruka was...It's a new day and a new Uzumaki Naruto...And it's time to show the world what I can accomplish!'_

* * *

 **Otogakure no Sato – Underground Bunker  
Hebi Sennin Orochimaru**

"Unbelievable..." Orochimaru breathed out as he held the Forbidden Scroll in his hands, handed to him by his trusted apprentice, Yakushi Kabuto. It had been a week since he had sent his special shinobi out to get the scroll, with help from that bumbling fool Mizuki and he had been waiting to see if the mission was successful.

And to his excitement, it was.

"I must study the scroll carefully in a moment," Orochimaru stated as he rose from his chair and donned his Kage robe and hat as he said "But first, I must thank them for retrieving it." While Otogakure no Sato was not an official Shinobi village, he would treat it as such and would not be anywhere without his cloak and hat.

Kabuto chuckled and replied "You'll only be thanking her. Mizuki met his end by Uzumaki Naruto."

Orochimaru smirked at this.

"You told me he failed his exam and yet he killed Mizuki? Shows how truly pathetic that creature was," Orochimaru stated as he began to walk to his door, with Kabuto rushing ahead to opening for him.

"Yes but unfortunately, Uzumaki Naruto still lives. He was very close to death however...It seems your plan was only a slight success..." Kabuto said with a frown on his face.

Orochimaru shrugged at this and said "I was hoping she would have slayed the Uzumaki. Any remnants of that foolish Yondaime only spits on my pride." Orochimaru then chuckled and said "No matter...Because now there are more chances to eliminate the spawn of the Namikaze..."

Orochimaru and Kabuto paused and glanced down into the room beneath them and that was when Orochimaru smirked "And it will all because of her..."

Sitting in an all white room on a single steel chair, there was a woman with slender, but feminine build, fair skin sitting within it, her arms, legs and torso strapped onto the seat.

Her blazing red hair cascaded around her shoulders and down to the middle of her back, causing a good contrast against the light gray and white high-neck straitjacket she wore with the sleeves shred below her arms and several white belts all over the upper body with white and gray straps to cover the upper arms.

She also wore white and red pants with several white belts and a sash which hang loose on each side with a gray belt along with a matching cross belt on her waist, and white leg guards.

She also wore different pair of short boots and his black demonic-like gauntlets from with a long chain on her neck which was hanging loose on her jacket but it was her eyes that would startle anyone that knew her.

Her eyes wasn't the expressive, violet eyes that have swayed many men and women to her side.

Her eyes were empty.

Dull...Lifeless.

Behind her was a female scientist with green hair sliding a needle into the woman's neck but the woman gave no reaction to needle. All she did was sit there silently.

"With Uzumaki Kushina as my personal killer and the forbidden scroll in my possession...The Uchiha will be mine...Konoha will fall and the spawn of Namikaze will die for good," Orochimaru said before he let out a loud, victorious laugh.

* * *

Rain: So...Bombshells have happened. This one was a calculated risk but I decided to do it. I originally was going to make Tayuya be the one to have undertaken that mission but I decided that who better for the Champion of the Shinigami to face than the former champion?

Well, that is the end of this chapter. What will happen next? Only one way to find out!

Luigi: See you next time


	17. Chapter 16

Rain: Hello all, I am back with a brand new chapter. Let's not waste anytime and get into it!

Captain Falcon: Show your moves!

* * *

 **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Sixteen**

 **Konohagakure no Sato- Yamanaka Residence  
Yamanaka Ino**

It had been two days since Naruto had left her home and she couldn't get his words from her mind.

He didn't yell at her but his words were harsh and biting all the same. She actually would have preferred him to yell at her because she would have just shrugged it out but instead, he was so blasé about it that it truly hit her in the gut.

At first, she was furious at him for snapping at her but the longer she thought about it, the sharper the truth became in her ears.

But what could she do now?

How could she approach Naruto after what he said? He wouldn't believe her if she came out of nowhere to admit he was right and wanted to give friendship a try. He would only believe that she was after the secrets he held.

No, what she had to do was prove it to him.

 _'And what better way than to take a walk in his shoes,'_ Ino thought as she made her way through to Naruto's apartment building.

Her dad always told her that to know a person, you need to know where and how they live first and thanks to many villagers helping her out, she had found Naruto's house but to her horror, it was in the worst neighborhood in the entire village.

"How could Naruto live in this area?" Ino asked herself completely horrified at this revelation, trying to ignore several drunken shinobi stumbling past the building.

 _'Its day time and there are drunks roaming around…How disgusting…'_ Ino thought glumly as she walked into the building.

Once Ino was inside building, a horrible smell hit her nose. _'Is that piss?'_ Ino thought with a gag as she walked up the stairs of the rundown building.

How Naruto could live in a building so broken down and hideous was a surprise to Ino.

Ino ignored the intense smell around her as she trekked up the stairs until she came across Naruto's door. The only reason she knew it was his door was because of the sign that had his name on it.

Ino lifted her hand and gave the door a knock but to her surprise, the door cracked open. _'It's unlocked…'_ Ino thought as she walked into the apartment and slowly closed the door. With a flip of the light switch by the door, Ino found herself in a very nice apartment.

The apartment had light orange wallpaper with dark orange flowers imprinted on it, the couch was dark blue the kitchen was sparkling but the most important thing was that it had a warm atmosphere. Everything in this place reminded her of the blond himself but other than that, the entire place had no pictures of family or friends or anything.

Despite how lovely it looked and warm it made her, she felt lonely in this place. It was like she was looking into Naruto's soul and it scared that he may feel this way.

After walking through the place, looking around and smiling faintly at the different shades of orange she found but when she found herself in Naruto's room, a deep blush settled on her face.

She had never been in a boy's room before but not only was she in one, she was in Naruto's. The last person she truly expected. "So this is where Naruto sleeps...It looks nice," Ino murmured under her breath, still blushing over the fact she was in Naruto's room.

She walked towards Naruto's closet and took out one of his many orange jackets and put one on and felt her blush deepen when she smelled his scent on it. It smelled like a manly version of lavender, funny enough.

She then took a pair of his pants and slipped it on and looked in the mirror that was hanging on his closet door and giggled when she saw that Naruto's clothes were hanging off of her.

"Looks like I'm a twig compared to him" Ino crossed her arms and smiled a bit before taking a deep breath, ready to get down to business.

"It's time to see how the villagers treat Naruto" She then steeled herself before she shouted "Henge!" clouds of smoke had suddenly filled the entire room after and after the smoke cleared, a perfect replica of Naruto stood in Ino's place, coughing and waving the smoke away.

"Note to self: Never henge in a small space like this ever again," Ino's said in her own voice as she continued to wave the smoke away from her but once it was completely cleared, Ino looked at herself in the mirror and nodded in approval.

"Man, I look just like Naruto. Even if the jacket and the pants are falling off of me a little. Now to put my plan into action. Operation: Naruto is a go!" But she never realized that this would turn out to be one of the most revealing and revolting days in her life.

The first place she decided to go to was one of her favorite places to eat, Hazuki's salad bar but to her horror, they charged her three times the amount she would normally pay for her salad.

Outraged at the horrendous prices, she had stated there was no way in hell she would pay so much when she usually paid a much smaller amount.

She was kicked out forcefully.

The next place she decided to go to another favorite place of hers.

The Urameshi Candies and Cakes Factory.

She had spent countless hours eating the various sweets there and had to have spent a ton of money and the owners were so sweet to her so she was sure they would be the same to her as Naruto but the second she walked into the place, she was forcefully thrown out of it and threatened that if she were ever to return, ANBU would be waiting for her.

She had never seen the owners look so furious before at her. It was honestly disheartening to Ino but she braved on.

After those two places, every other place she went was more or less the same but the dislike from the villagers seemed to increase until she had to run away from a group of chūnin, who stated they were going to teach the "Demon" a lesson in respect.

 _'They called Naruto a demon…Why?'_ Ino thought to herself once she came out of her hiding spot, having avoided the chūnin chasing her.

After three hours of dealing with this, Ino sullenly walked through the streets with her head down to avoid the cruel and mean stares she was getting from the villagers, trying desperately to hold back the tears she felt in her eyes.

She had never felt so alone in her entire life before this experiment. Everyone in the village adored the Yamanaka so to see those who liked her act so hostile unsettled her but knowing they treated Naruto like this really upset her.

 _'This is what he has been going through day in and day out? How in the hell did he survive this? How long did he go through this?'_ Ino asked herself mentally.

But the real question was why did he go through this? Sure, he was a prankster but that alone wouldn't have earned the hostile feelings the villagers were giving him. There had to be something more to it.

There had to be because she could not allow herself to believe that they would treat someone like this willingly.

Ino found herself at her home and with a slightly relieved smile, she made sure no one was around before dispelling the henge, returning her to her real self but as she walked into the house, she was met with a stare from both her mother and her father.

At first she was confused as to why they were staring at her until she remembered that she was in Naruto's clothing. "Wait, guys, before you punish me for something you think I did, let me explain…"

And so for the next hour and a half, she explained what she was doing in Naruto's clothing and at first, she had stayed strong in describing what how the villagers treated her but then she began to break down.

And once she was done, she was laying in her mother's arms, crying about how unfairly they treated Naruto but then she realized something that made her cry even more.

She was just like them. Making fun of him, bullying him relentlessly and making his life a living hell when he already had to deal with everything in this village, it made her feel worse than she ever felt before.

He had every right to snap at her before. He was emotionally abused every single day of his life and yet it took him this long to snap.

She would have snapped after a week of this. There was no telling how long Naruto held it all in before he reached his breaking point.

But the question still remained…

Why was he being treated like this?

"Okaa-san…Otou-san…" Ino began, wiping away any stray tears that fell down her face. "Why is Naruto so hated by the village? What did he do to deserve all of this? And why h-haven't we helped him at all?"

She looked as her mother and father looked at each other before they glanced at her with guilty looks on their faces. "We won't lie to you sweetheart," Inoichi said softly. "We did try to help him but we had our own little one to worry about. We didn't have time to focus on two of you."

"You should have made time!" Ino shouted angrily. She loved her parents but how selfish could they be in letting Naruto deal with his lonely hell alone when they knew he was suffering. "Do you not understand the things I dealt with today? Either of you?"

"We understand," Iila replied softly. "And I feel dreadful in not helping him but we had to make a choice and we made it and that was to focus on you."

"I would have been ok…" Ino breathed out before she moved away from her mother, her hands rubbing at her forearms. "Why does everyone hate him? And don't try to tell me its because of his troublemaking ways."

The house was quiet for a moment but then Iila said "We are not allowed to speak about it due to the Sandaime's rule."

Both Ino and Inoichi looked to Iila in alarm.

They weren't allowed to speak about it due to the Sandaime's law? "Does Naruto know about this law?" Ino asked. Her parents shook their heads and it only made Ino more upset. "Y-You mean to tell me that there was a law made about him that he doesn't even know? And this is law is why people hate him?!"

Ino didn't even realize how angry she had become until she was shouted at her parents. "I may not know of this law but Naruto deserves to know why everyone treats him the way they do and I'm going to tell him!" Ino exclaimed as she stomped out of the house, ignoring the shouts from her parents.

Naruto deserved to know the truth and while she knew he wouldn't be pleased about this, it was his right to know and she would tell him. Not because of trying to be his friend but because it was the right thing to do.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Training Field  
Uzumaki Naruto**

"You are coming along greatly," Miyuki praised as she blocked an ice kunai with her ice naginata. Naruto growled and dashed forward and summoned three more ice kunai and launched them towards her but she twirled the weapon to deflect them before she threw it towards him.

Naruto whipped his arm into the air sharply, allowing a wall of ice to form to block the weapon, causing it to wedge itself in the ice wall by the sharp end of the staff. Naruto twisted his body and pulled the naginata free and blocked a side strike from Miyuki's own naginata before blocking a downward swipe.

Naruto pushed her staff aside and kicked her in the chest to gain some distance before he twisted his body and launched the naginata towards her.

Miyuki turned her body to allow the naginata to pass her before grabbed the very end of it and twisted her body swiftly, allowing the pole of the naginata to slam into Naruto's gut when he got close.

But to her surprise, Naruto froze into a statute before shattering.

Her eyes widened as Naruto exploded from the ground beneath her with a shout, his eyes glowing with a dangerous gleam as his ice naginata lunged down towards her. Miyuki twisted her body and formed an ice shield and blocked the smooth weapon of the ice-made weapon, causing it to shatter.

Miyuki then dismissed the ice shield and grabbed his outstretched arm and twisted her body before slamming him to the ground. She then twisted her body and knelt down, and summoned an ice kunai and held it to Naruto's throat.

"Do you surrender?" She asked him.

"Yeah…I don't think I can summon anymore ice," Naruto responded as he laid his head back on the ground, exhausted. "I have no idea how I even beat you back in the plains." Miyuki smiled and rose from her knelt position and held out her hand, which Naruto took thankfully.

Despite her being in the shinobi world, Miyuki wasn't truly free from Naruto's soul.

She was using a shadow clone that was changed into her image as her avatar in order to train him but the one thing that could tell her original self and her avatar apart was the whisker marks on her face.

"I know how you fight Naruto," Miyuki told him in a matter-of-fact tone in her voice. "Despite the skills you gathered during your time in the otherworld, you rely on trickery. Using clones as misdirection to hide your true purpose and while that is a good trait, enemies that have fought you before are keen to this and will expect it of you next time around."

"That makes sense…" Naruto said. "You acclimated to my fighting skills. Hm…I'll just have to try harder," Naruto stated with a determined smile on his face.

"Very good," Miyuki said proudly. "Other than that, your speed of ice summoning as quickened. It's not as fast as it was in the otherworld but that place has chakra everywhere. You still have to acclimate to the vast changes in temperature. Also, I need to starting training you in the of my special technique."

Naruto was instantly curious by this. "Special technique?" He repeated. "I thought forming anything out of ice is your special technique," he stated.

Miyuki smiled and shook her head. "No. Each of the Royal Guard holds a different technique that enhances their ability. Mine is tied into the Taijutsu style that I perfected during the time of my life."

Now this surprised Naruto.

He had fought and sparred with Miyuki and not once did she ever go into a prolonged fight without her ice skills so to know her special technique tied into her Taijutsu had him very curious.

"But…You…" Naruto started, trying to form his words but Miyuki chuckled as she raised her hand.

"I know what you are trying to say. I am a better fighter from a distance but I do have Taijutsu. Mine is just…different from the average Taijutsu style. It is called Hyōga no Ken (Fist of the Glacier)."

"Hyōga no Ken…" Naruto repeated.

"That is correct. Now watch closely…" Miyuki took a deep breath before she shut her eyes. Pale blue chakra began to form around her body until he noticed large amounts of ice being built around her forearms, her shoulders and knuckles along with her chest.

He then looked down to see ice begin to build below her knees and down her legs and when he glanced at her face, a mask of ice formed around her mouth. When she opened her eyes, they were frost blue in color.

The ice then broke away from where they had grown, revealing smooth ice armor on her body."Hyōga no Ken is a defensive Taijutsu. Now…Try and strike me," Miyuki commanded. Naruto nodded and jabbed at her direction but the moment his hand hit her armored chest, it slipped to the side and her elbow slammed against his neck hard.

It was so quick, he didn't even get a chance to stop the strike. "Again," Miyuki commanded. Naruto growled and tried to punch her face but his fist slid against her mask and in turn, her knee strike to the stomach caused him to strike back.

Naruto stumbled back and charged forward and delivered a flying kick to her chest but his foot slide to the side, which allowed her right palm to collide with his face, which sent him flying backwards in the air and crash land to the ground.

"Ow…" Naruto groaned out as he leaned up off the ground. "I get it…Anytime I hit you, my hits slid off of you, allowing you to land a clean strike…"

"That is correct," Miyuki said as she dismissed the armor. "This is only phase one and therefore, the weaker of the three phases. The second phase is using the ice to maneuver because while the armor is useful, it is also heavy and doesn't allow for much flexibility. You will learn more about this tonight."

Naruto then noticed Miyuki look behind him before she said "Now, it is time for you to focus on something more pressing…" Naruto looked at her in confusion as she pointed behind him and when Naruto turned around and blinked in surprise.

It was the Hokage.

* * *

Rain: And that is the end of this chapter. The next chapter will deal with the meeting between Naruto and the Hokage And also some NaruHina AND NaruIno bonding so until the next chapter.

Mario: See you next time!


	18. Chapter 17

Reaper Naruto: Yo Hellfire-nii, your last chapter was great.

Victoria: Yeah. Your Hinata was pretty tough. I guess being fused with Kitana would do that to her.

Hellfire Naruto: *ruffles Reaper Naruto's hair* Thank you baby brother. My Hinata is pretty great but I wonder if she will catch up with m- *Sees Jasper chasing Chloe* Kami, they are still going at it?

Trini: Looks like it. I wonder when he will catch her.

Jason: Hopefully soon before they barge into our AN's. I don't think Zordon would be pleased by their chaos in our fanfiction space.

Kimberly: Speaking of which, I wonder why we are all able to travel through the different fanfics. Katherine and Billy are in the Mass Effect ones while Zack is in the DBZ one. How can this be?

Ron-Pool: *kicks key to the fanfic dimension doors under a rug then shrugs* Who knows. Well Reaper Naruto, you're up!

Victoria: *kisses Reaper's cheek* Go get them tiger.

Reaper Naruto: *blushes* Hehe. Oh, you never did tell me what a "car" is…

Ron-Pool:…Um, readers…I do not know how to explain that but apparently VictoriaXReaper Naruto is becoming a thing?! *mumbles* The LiS girls are going to murder me. *out loud* enjoy the show!

* * *

 **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Seventeen**

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Training Field  
Uzumaki Naruto**

Naruto had been dreading this moment.

Since he had woken up, he had been avoiding speaking to the Hokage.

Since his adventure on the other side, there was a lot that he had found out. A lot of lies and secrets that was kept from him. Even before then, he was lied to about why everyone hated him so he avoided the man to figure things out.

But now standing here with Miyuki watching on, Naruto felt the feelings of hurt, betrayal and anger flow through his veins. "Hokage-Jiji," Naruto replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"I am glad to see that you are awake Naruto-kun," The Sandaime said with a smile on his face.

 _'That smile…'_ Naruto thought. _'The smile of a liar…'_

Naruto clenched his jaw to bite back on the shout that wanted to leave his mouth and instead said "It's good to be amongst the living again but I'm afraid I have an appointment to make so I bid you good day."

Naruto turned his back to the Hokage and said in a hushed tone "Come on Miyuki-sensei. We need to get going."

Miyuki nodded and placed hands behind her back before the two began but then with a rush of leaves, the Sandaime was before the two. "I do apologize Naruto but your appointment must wait. Just a little bit," The Sandaime told him.

"It really can't," Miyuki responded as she stepped before Naruto with a cold expression on her face.

"And who might you be?" The Hokage asked with a look of scrutiny on his face.

"She's just a friend I met," Naruto said as he stepped between the two. "She invited me over to dinner before her parents start work. Can we please go? Whatever we have to talk about can surely wait, right?" Naruto asked with a look to the older man.

The Sandaime stared at the two for a moment before he said "I'm sure…Very well, I will hold off on this talk until tomorrow. Out of respect that you are alright but I do expect to speak to you as soon as possible."

"Crystal clear Hokage-Jiji," Naruto said with a salute, hiding back his disgusted scowl with a wide smile.

"Very well. I will speak to you later," The Sandaime said before his form flickered away, leaving Naruto and Miyuki alone again.

Naruto's smile morphed into a disgusted scowl as he said "That took all I had to not snap at him."

"Why did you hold back?" Miyuki questioned curiously.

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Yelling at the leader of your village can lead to a lot of bullshit I don't need right now. It seems he doesn't know about me or the Kioigan yet. We need to keep it that way until I find my mother and sister. Once I do…"

Naruto balled up his fist hard enough that it drew blood.

"That is when I return thirteen years of lies he threw in my face," Naruto growled.

"So, this "Hokage" is the leader of this village. Back in my time, during the Sengoku Jidai, we didn't have villages like this. Because of the constant wars, we were always traveling, being bought out by the highest bidder at any given time…"

"Was it truly that bad?" Naruto asked her.

"…The average lifespan of a shinobi during that two century period was thirty years. My sister and I only lived to twenty five respectively before we died…" Miyuki responded and while she kept her voice aloof, Naruto could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto asked her softly.

Miyuki shook her head. "It wouldn't do me any good now. That era as passed, as have all that have lived through it. No use in mourning over it now."

"I suppose but we're family Miyuki-sensei. If you ever need to talk…" Naruto drifted off but had a warm smile on his face, which Miyuki returned, albeit slowly.

"You'll be the first to know," she replied softly before she said "My time is up for today. I'll be in my realm, waiting to see you again…" With a smile still on her face, Miyuki's form then began to frost over, leaving a very well made snow statue in her visage before it blew away with the wind.

"Rest well Miyuki-sensei," Naruto told her in a hushed tone before his stomach began to rumble. "Boy," Naruto said as he rubbed his stomach with a chuckle. "I should grab something to eat. I really need some food in my belly. Oh! Maybe I should invite Hinata-chan to lunch."

Naruto quickly sprinted off in the direction of the Hyūga sector of the village.

* * *

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato - Hyūga Mansion  
Uzumaki Naruto_**

With a leap, Naruto landed on top of the brick wall that protected the privacy of the Hyūga clan then leapt down on the ground. Naruto knew he was welcomed to the clan since he became friends with Hinata but he also enjoyed surprising them with his arrival on occasion.

Naruto landed on the ground and walked down the trail the led to the Hyūga training grounds, where Hinata and Kō were in the middle of an intense training session.

Naruto always enjoyed watching Hinata spar with her fellow clan members. While the rest of the Hyūga clan were rigid in their movements, Hinata seemed to be more relaxed, as if she was dancing during her lesson.

It amazed him how flexible she could truly be. Then again, anything she really did amazed him. Whenever Naruto looked or watched Hinata, he didn't see the failure that her clan saw her as. He saw her as strong kunoichi that truly wanted change within her clan.

Her dream was to change the clan and unite them for the better, getting rid of the cursed seal that caused a shadow over the clan itself and because of that dream, she was kind to the house branch members and often helped them in many endeavors but because of this, along with refusing to hurt Hanabi in any way, made everyone see her as pathetic.

It was a shame that they couldn't see that in her at all.

"So you are here after all," Hiashi's voice said from behind him, causing Naruto to shriek and turn around to face the Hyūga patriarch with a surprised look on his face.

"Man, must you always ghost about this place, Hiashi-san?" Naruto asked with a look on his face.

Hiashi chuckled and replied "Despite being the leader of the clan, I do often see to guests. Even those who decide to sneak in, despite always being welcome."

"I like being spontaneous," Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

Hiashi chuckled before he said "That you do. I do apologize for scaring you. I just wanted to share my greetings with my future son-in-law."

Naruto blushed and said "You sure do like seeing me flustered…"

Hiashi chuckled once again and stared out at Hinata and Kō and said "Look at how intense their spar is. If the Elders saw this side of Hinata, they wouldn't see her as they do."

"I agree. It sucks that they think she's weak. She only cares about the clan and wants to see you all together," Naruto replied with a frown on his face. "It sucks they don't realize what they are losing…"

"That I agree with wholeheartedly," Hiashi replied before Naruto could feel the man's gaze upon him. "But while speaking of Hinata is well. I actually wished to speak to you."

Naruto looked to Hiashi and surprise. "Me? Why would you want to talk to me?"

"Well, you went through a horrible ordeal Naruto-san. Not to mention, as your father-in-law, I must make sure you are sound of mind," Hiashi said, which made Naruto blush once more.

Next to Iruka and Anko, since he became friends with Hinata, Hiashi was a constant adult presence in his life.

Sure, he didn't hang out with him like Anko or Iruka did but he was a welcoming clan leader who always helped him when he needed it, whether it be lending an ear or giving advice and he had gained Naruto's trust.

"I feel conflicted, Hiashi-san…" Naruto admitted. "I found out so much since I woke up that I-I don't know what to do…" Naruto paused before he looked down at the ground. "With Iruka-nii gone and someone dear to me betraying me to a level I've never felt, I don't know who to trust right now…"

Naruto then looked to Hiashi and said "I want to trust you Hiashi-san because you are right. You're going to be my father-in-law but at the same time…I don't want my trust to be betrayed again."

"And it won't be," Hiashi said softly. "But I will not force you to trust me. Just know that when you are ready to talk, I will be there to listen. That's what father's do."

Naruto smiled at him and said "Thank you."

"You do not ever have to thank me Naruto-san…You saved my daughters from the seal. If anything, I am in your debt," Hiashi replied before he said "Ah, looks like my daughter is done with training. Go to her. We shall talk later."

Naruto nodded and gave a small bow to Hiashi before he ran up to Hinata, who currently was chatting with Kō, and wrapped his arms around her from behind and lifted her up, which made her squeal "Naruto-kun!" in delight.

Naruto spun her around and before he sat her on the ground and said "I watched your spar with Kō-san, you did great."

He watched as Hinata turned around and for a moment, Naruto felt his gaze soften at the sight of the kunoichi before him. Her pale skin was slightly reddened and her smile was wide enough to show her dimples, her lavender pearl eyes seemingly radiating in happiness at the sight of him.

 _'D-Did my heart just skip a beat?'_ Naruto asked himself.

"D-Did I really do ok?" Hinata stammered out with a blush on her face.

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed. "You did awesome against Kō! Would I lie to my fiancée of all people?" Naruto questioned with a teasing smile on his face. Hinata squeaked in surprise, her blush deepening.

"F-F-Fiancée…You c-called me…" Hinata managed to say before her body fell limp in Naruto's arms.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto said in alarm before he turned to the very amused Kō and said "Help me!"

Kō looked at Hinata's unconscious form before he said "It seems she'll be out for some time from that." Kō then took Hinata from his arms and said "I will take her to rest. But maybe next time, you should choose your words carefully…Lest you want this to always be the end result."

Naruto nodded with a pout as Kō walked away with Hinata's unconscious body and muttered "Damn, I was hoping to take her out to some Ichikaru's Ramen…Me and my dumb mouth. Maybe I should hold off on that until she wakes up."

Naruto then groaned and rolled his left shoulder and said "Maybe I should just head home for now. Get a little rest then get Hinata and see if she wants to eat tonight." With a nod and a new plan, Naruto left the Hyūga domain to his apartment.

* * *

 ** _Konohagakure no Sato – Uzumaki Apartment  
Uzumaki Naruto_**

"Can they hold off drinking for one fucking day?" Naruto grumbled to himself as stepped over a drunk old man camped at the stairs leading up to his floor but as he pushed his key into his doorknob, the door creaked open.

 _'Did I leave this unlocked?'_ Naruto thought with a confused look before he shrugged and walked into his living room.

"Nothing looks out of place…" Naruto said with a raised brow. He summoned a clone to look over the living room and kitchen and thankfully, there were no traps. "Good job," Naruto said happily to the clone, who bowed with a grin before exploding into smoke.

Naruto walked through the living room towards his bedroom door but as he opened the door, he came upon a sight he was not expecting.

Wearing his clothes, which was sagging on her slim body, was Yamanaka Ino and she was currently sleeping on his bed but he noticed that in her arms was a stuffed bear with a heart in its arms that said "I'm sorry," along with a large bouquet of flowers and a heart shaped chocolate box.

 _'Oh Ino…'_ Naruto thought softly.

His words must have really affected her more than he thought…

Naruto walked to the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her awake. Ino groaned and opened her eyes with a drowsy look before turned to Naruto and murmured "N-Naruto?"

"Hey Ino," Naruto replied with small smile. "Comfy?"

Ino stared at him blankly and for a moment, Naruto could practically see her brain working through the fog and when she blinked, her focus was clearer but to his surprise, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Oh my god…Naruto!" Ino shouted as she dropped the stuff in her arms on the bed and launched herself to Naruto and embraced him tightly as she began to sob, leaving Naruto looking confused. "I'm so sorry…For all the bullshit I've said and done. I'm such a horrible bitch!" Ino wailed against his neck.

 _'What did I miss?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he pulled himself from Ino's grasp and frowned at her tears falling down her eyes. "Hey, hey…It's ok…What happened Ino? What's wrong? Why are you apologizing to me of all people?"

"I-I was hella pissed at you for…speaking the truth so I w-wanted to show that we c-could friends," Ino sniffed and looked down to the floor. "B-But I knew me saying it may not work so I decided to…Henge as you…"

More tears began to well up in Ino's eyes as she asked him "Why do people treat so horribly Naruto?"

"Oh Ino-chan," Naruto whispered. "You shouldn't have done that Ino-chan…No one should have to do that…"

"But you can live that?!" Ino exclaimed indignantly. "These villagers treat you horribly! Being you today showed me that these people despise you and all that you do. That they don't hesitate to call you a demon."

Naruto lowered his head as he heard Ino add "How long? How long have you been treated like this?"

"For as long as I can remember…" Naruto responded somberly.

"You…You looked so happy all the time…And yet you were suffering…And I added to that. No wonder you didn't trust me…I don't deserve it," Ino said sadly.

Naruto slowly looked up at her and saw the most heartbreaking smile he had never seen before on her tear streaked face. Without thinking, Naruto reached over and wiped her tears away as he replied "Ino-chan…Kami, I don't know what to say acc-"

"You don't h-have to say anything," Ino told him. "I'm sorry Naruto…I'm so fucking sorry…I know I've done some bad stuff in the past but I would love to be your friend. If you let me…"

Naruto stayed silent for a moment.

She was speaking the truth. He knew she was. Those tears, the clothes she was wearing and the fact she was even in his place, where no one but Hinata and Anko knew of, told him that she meant every word.

"Y'know something?" Naruto suddenly stated. "I am really fucking hungry. I've been feigning for Ramen for a while. It would be very great if this tearful but cute platinum blonde friend of mine to come with me…"

Ino seemed confused for a moment before a large smile appeared on her face. "Idiot…I would love to have lunch with you," with a small smile on her face.

Naruto smiled and stood up on his feet and held his hand out to her, saying "Now that this talk is done, let's go get us some ramen."

Ino smiled while she put her hand in Naruto's open hand and let him left her up off the bed and for a moment, Naruto saw a blush on her face when he gave her a gentle smile. "Come on…Let's head out to lunch"

Naruto only smiled.

* * *

Reaper Naruto: And that is the end of this chapter and I now know what a "Car" is.

Victoria: Very good Naruto-kun. I will have you educated on my world yet. But you have Ino as your friend now!

Reaper Naruto: Yeah! I'm so happy. I lost someone but I gained someone. And all that needed to be done was for her to see my…pathetic…life…Fuck.

Victoria: *slips her hand into Reaper Naruto's then squeezes* It'll be ok. The more friends, the merrier. She'll be a great person for you to place your trust into.

Reaper Naruto: *Smiles and squeezes back* You think so?

Victoria: *rests head on his shoulder* I know so.

Garfield: *Hanging upside down on spider-web, munching on popcorn* And here I thought Victoria was a huge bitch in **Life is Strange**. Guess I was wrong.

Ron-Pool: She was softened up by the girls in the LiS Fanfiction. I can't believe this. *munchies on popcorn* Out of all the things that could have happened, this was one of them.

Kimberly: Well I for one thing it's cute that they are getting along.

Commander Rock Shepard: *digs hand in Ron-Pool's popcorn and eats a few* Man, this popcorn is delicious. We don't get these on the Citadel

Hellfire Naruto: That's ends the chapter. We will see you all later!


	19. Chapter 18

Naruto (Hellfire): *Making a milkshake* I wonder where everyone is today…

Kate: I know Victoria and Reaper is currently sleeping in bed.

Naruto (Hellfire): In separate beds…or in one bed?

Victoria: *Blushes furiously* A-Ah…

Zack: Sup shinobi blonds! You guys seen Ino anywhere?

Naruto (Hellfire): Which universe?

Zack: *points to Hellfire*

Naruto (Hellfire): Ah, she's at her place sleeping.

Zack: Sweet. I'm trying to sneak a quick make-out session before I'm called out for ranger duty. Later guys!

Kate: So…I heard Ron-Pool was shot.

Naruto (Hellfire): *Shocked* Really?!

Kate: Yeah. In his fanfiction **Unstoppable with a Mouth** in the A/Ns naturally. He was talking to Sakura (Street Fighter) and Caulfield before he was sniped down. He's ok but we're wondering who did it.

Naruto (Hellfire): Ron-Pool is certainly odd but he is a fellow shinobi in a way. He should be ok.

Kate: I hope so…So tell me, do you really wield the power of Hellfire?

Naruto (Hellfire): I do.

Kate: How can a normal person wield hellfire? The bible speaks nothing of it.

Naruto (Hellfire): Let's just say, my world works far differently than the world you are from Kate. So while we talk about it, everyone reading on, Enjoy the next chapter of **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix**

* * *

 **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Eighteen**

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Uzumaki Apartment  
Uzumaki Naruto**

It had been a day since Naruto and Ino had eaten lunch at Ichikaru's and now Naruto was sitting in his apartment alone, silently putting the flowers Ino had gotten him in vase.

It was strange, having someone actually experience what he goes through on a daily basis and he honestly didn't know how to feel.

Should he feel outraged that she posed as him or should he feel flattered that she took a walk in his shoes, something no one else has ever done, just to understand him?

Naruto wasn't sure but it leaned heavily to the second one but this posed a new problem. Ino will no doubt want to know more about him and why he was called a demon but he wouldn't tell her, not quite yet.

He was willing to be her friend but he didn't want her to know all of his secrets…Not now at least.

He picked up the small bear and placed it on the shelf in the right hand corner and chuckled.

 _'I do have to admit though...She's certainly has a unique soul,'_ Naruto thought to himself as he chuckled again with a shake of his head.

At least something was going right in this confusing life of his.

Just then, the lights in his room shut off, causing him to be blanketed in completely darkness. "I don't think I missed any light payments," Naruto murmured until he felt a presence in the room alongside him.

 _"Get on your guard. You are not alone,"_ Miyuki told him.

She was immediately proven right when Naruto heard a small chuckle in the room. "Welcome back to the living world Uzumaki Naruto. You have been missed," An unfamiliar voice said.

Immediately, Naruto swiftly grabbed a kunai from his kunai pouch that was thankfully still on his person and threw it quickly but the mysterious figure blocked it with his wooden cane.

"Now, now Naruto-san," The figure said with a small chuckle which made Naruto's eyes narrow before the figure added "No sense in attacking an ally…Especially one bearing gifts."

Naruto gritted his teeth and took a small breath before laughing a bit.

"Ally? So far, one of the few people I trusted with my life has betrayed me recently…What makes you think I trust you, a mere stranger as my ally?" Naruto asked with an edge in his voice as the grandfatherly image of the Sandaime within his mind but he immediately forced him out of his mind.

"Trust is very hard to come by in this world but trust me Naruto-san, you will want me as an ally when the time comes…Until then…" The stranger tossed a small scroll to Naruto, who caught it glanced down at it as the man continued with "I figured I give you something you would want to have."

"What is this and why did you give it to me?" Naruto asked with confusion and suspicion in his voice.

The man in the shadows merely chuckled lowly and said "I have shinobi all around this village as my eyes and ears…I have heard very promising things about you…And considering I've seen something similar happen to another Uzumaki, I figured this is what you deserve and as for what it within that scroll…Let's just say, this is your birthright the old monkey kept from you…."

"What else is new?" Naruto said with a bitter laugh but then he looked up at the shadow and said "Thank you for giving this to me. At least there are some people that want to see me happy I suppose…Even if they are complete strangers…"

"It is no problem, Naruto-san…Learn all you can within the scroll because it will grant you more power, both physically and mentally, than anyone could achieve. I cannot wait to see what you learn from within it. Now all you have to do is write the seal "Open" with your blood and it shall reveal all that is within it…" The man said with a small chuckle.

Naruto stared at the man a few moments longer and asked "Tell me something…who you are?"

"Me? I am just a hawk soaring in the wind…Looking for promising shinobi for my glorious purpose and I believe I found someone who will lead them…Until we meet again, Uzumaki Naruto."

And with those words, figure seemed to melt into the shadows and a few seconds later, the lights came on, illuminating the entire room, leaving Naruto alone with the mysterious scroll.

 _"I don't trust him one damn bit…"_ Miyuki said with heat in her voice, distrust glowing in her crimson eyes.

'I don't either but this scroll…I have to see what is within it…' Naruto responded with narrowed eyes. And why shouldn't he? If what the man said was true, this was his birthright and he de-served to see what was within it and when he did, his eyes widened in surprise.

In the scroll was a large scroll that read "Uzumaki Jutsu" as well as a bundle of clothes but what caught his gaze was a hilt.

A white and gold hilt.

He picked up the hilt and tilted his head in confusion.

 _"Unbelievable…"_ He heard Miyuki breath out within his mind. _"Naruto, do you know what you hold in your hand?"_

"Not at all," Naruto replied as he tossed the hilt up and down.

 _"Here. Activate your Kioigan,"_ Miyuki ordered, a hint of urgency in her voice.

Never hearing that tone in his voice before, Naruto quickly activated his Kioigan in Miyuki's mode and immediately, he noticed that the hilt seemed to have light purple orbs floating around it. _"I want you to push chakra into it,"_ Miyuki said.

Naruto nodded and focused chakra towards the hilt. Naruto could see the mist of ice flowing around the hilt until the hilt expanded and a sharp blade made of solid ice exploded out from the empty socket of the hilt, nearly piercing the floor.

"Whoa! What the hell?!" Naruto exclaimed as he glanced at the Naginata in his hand.

 _"So I was correct,"_ Miyuki said with a small chuckle. _"This, my student is the Kiryoku Gara (Spirit Hilt) It allows you to summon the personal weapons of your Kioigan Spirit. This is mine. The Naginata no Kōri Raion (Naginata of the Ice Lion)."_

"But you can already use ice to make weapons," Naruto explained. "Why do you need a special weapon?"

He could feel Miyuki's smirk as she said _"I want you to tap the naginata against anything."_

Naruto nodded and swung the polearm to his left to a lamp and to his surprise, the minute the ice blade connected against the glass of his lamp, the entire lamp froze. "Whoa…" Naruto said as ice mist flowed from the lamp. "It froze solid…"

 _"And there is quite a lot more to it than that but we will learn that in time…It is amazing this person held such a powerful Uzumaki artifact,"_ Miyuki said.

Naruto deactivated the Kioigan with "Kioigan: Break," but as he said this, the hilt to shrink down to normal, the ice blade vanishing almost immediately after the hilt's change. "I see…So this is directly tied into the Kioigan…That is good to note," Naruto said as he placed the hilt on his bed.

He then looked at the bundle of clothes and unfurled it to reveal sleeveless black shirt and pants with gold and silver linings on it with matching gauntlets and boots.

He also saw red shredded cape in two sides similar to a scarf attached to a gold and silver lion pauldron.

As he lifted up the shirt, he realized that it was a little heavier than expected. Were these weighted clothing?

 _"I cannot believe that the Uzumaki Clan's battle clothing is here…How amazing…"_ Miyuki said as Naruto held the shirt in his hands.

"Battle clothing?" Naruto questioned.

 _"Yes. The Uzumaki Clan only wore this when during war. It is made of a Synthetic fiber known as "Kevlar" that is designed to protect its wearers from any cuts, abrasions and heat."_

"Yeah, Iruka-nii said that the flak jackets were made out of something similar to that," Naruto replied. "But I thought they were supposed to be light. Why is this one a little heavy?"

 _"Yes, these clothes are different due to a special-made metal that is woven into the clothing. It's called chakra metal. It allows you to channel chakra through them. We had them in our clothing as further protection,"_ Miyuki replied.

"It looks pretty damn cool but I don't want anyone to know I know about my lineage…I'll only wear this when the time is right," Naruto said as he pushed that aside. He then looked at the scroll and said "That person said there were Uzumaki styled jutsu in here…I can't wait to crack it open and see what is inside."

As Naruto held the scroll however, he noticed that beneath it was a framed picture. He lowered the Uzumaki technique scroll and held picture up.

The picture was of a fair-skinned woman with long red hair that reached down to her ankles and violet eyes, wearing a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long, loose-fitting dress with a wristband on her left wrist and standard shinobi sandals.

Beside her to the left was another fair-skinned woman with long, straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron normally worn over it but Naruto's eyes then noticed that on the woman on the left's sleeve, she had what he instantly recognized as the Uchiha clan's insignia.

And the two women had their arms around their shoulders with wide smiles on their faces.

It was then he noticed something beside the red haired woman's leg. There was a small girl with similar long red hair like the woman beside her with what seemed to be violet eyes as well, wearing a pink dress with a shy smile on her face.

Naruto stared at the photo for a long time until realization struck him.

He had seen this woman before. Years ago, he had a dream about her. She told him that she was his mother and that she loved him. He remembered talking to Iruka that same day at Ichikaru's about it.

She looked just like the woman in this picture.

But if that is the case…he's looking at the two females that could be his mother and his sister…

Naruto felt tears prickling at his eyes as heaviness filled his chest. "This is her…My mother…And my sister…" Naruto whispered softly as he held the picture to his chest and hugged it tightly as those tears began to flow.

After two hours passed, Naruto had calmed down and was now staring at the picture with narrowed eyes.

He now knew the face of his mother and sister but he needed to know more about them. He then gazed at the Uchiha female that stood beside his mother.

 _'Out of all the things I would have expected, she was friends with an Uchiha…I wonder who she is though…'_ Naruto thought.

It didn't matter, she was dead.

The only Uchiha that survived the appropriately named "Uchiha Massacre" was his jackass of a schoolmate Sasuke.

But maybe he would know about this woman…If he knew about her, maybe she kept a journal of some sort that talked about his mother.

It was a long shot to be sure but he did not want to go to the Sandaime, lest he explodes and tries to fight him for hiding so much from him. Naruto took the picture and tucked it within his jacket and said "Well…Off to the Uchiha district…"

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato - Uchiha District  
Uzumaki Naruto**

"Man…It sure is eerie here," Naruto noted as he walked through the empty Uchiha district, his eyes darting from left to right, keeping his guard up for anything that could pop up to attack him.

Did he really need to be that paranoid?

No.

But having fought some very tough enemies, both living and dead, tend to make anyone paranoid, even himself.

He soon came across Sasuke's door.

The sole reason he knew Sasuke lived in this specific place was due to pranking him three years back after he made Hinata cry by being a jerk. He gave a quick knock on the door and said "Yo Sasuke! It's me! I need to talk to you!"

After a minute passed, the door opened to reveal a very haggard looking Sasuke. "Dope…What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked tiredly, his eyes half lidded in exhaustion.

Naruto took note of the various rips and tears in his clothing as well as cuts on his bare skin and asked "What the hell happened to you?"

"Hatake Kakashi happened," Sasuke muttered tiredly. "He beat me, Sakura and our other teammate, Sai to a pulp for his bell test. We were barely able to pass it."

"As fucked up as you look, I know you're happy to achieve being a shinobi so congratulations on passing his test," Naruto said genuinely.

Sasuke was an ass and Naruto would never let him forget it but Naruto knew full damn well that being a shinobi was Sasuke's dream and he worked hard to obtain it.

Naruto noticed that Sasuke wasn't prepared for Naruto's congratulations because the Uchiha only looked at him in surprise. "T-Thanks…" Sasuke said before he cleared his throat and asked "So…What are you doing here?"

Naruto took out the photograph and held it out to Sasuke as he asked "Do you know who this woman is?"

Sasuke took the frame and glanced at the picture before his eyes widened in shock at it. "I'll take that as a yes?" Naruto questioned with a grin.

"I-I've never seen the red haired woman and child before but the woman…She's my mother," Sasuke answered before he looked to Naruto and asked "Where did you get this?"

"The red haired woman and girl are my mother and my sister," Naruto responded softly. "I was given this picture by someone today who knew I was looking for information about them…I was hoping that your mother, I believe you said, would have kept a journal or something."

"I-I don't think she did but I can look around and see," Sasuke said as he handed Naruto the picture back.

"Thanks...I would appreciate it. Well, I let you get some rest man. Congrats again. If you find anything, stop by my place," Naruto said with a friendly smile on his face.

Sasuke nodded and said "Will do…"

Naruto turned to walk away when he heard Sasuke shout "Oi!"

Naruto turned around to look at Sasuke curiously.

"If you can…Can you take a copy of that picture and give it to me? I don't have any pictures of my mom anymore due to my own rage at what happened to my clan…" Sasuke admitted softly.

"Of course, you're helping me out. Why wouldn't I help you in return? Equivalent exchange after all," Naruto said with a thumbs up before he walked away, not seeing the grateful expression on Sasuke's face before he shut the door.

Naruto was walking out of the distract before Miyuki's voice suddenly shouted _"Behind you!"_ but before he could act, he felt a jolt of pain in the back of his neck before everything went black.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato - Unknown forest  
Uzumaki Naruto**

"Ugh…Where am I?" a groggy Naruto asked himself as he forced his body off of the bumpy ground beneath him before his eyes gazed upon the area around him.

The last thing he remembered was talking to Sasuke before pain and now he was in this forest.

With a grunt, Naruto stood upon his two feet and looked around. This forest was nothing like the forest he had fought Mizuki in. It looked a lot more...Mysterious but very dangerous. The entire feeling that was coursing through his veins was that he shouldn't ever be in this forest alone…

"W-Welcome to the Forest of Death," a male's voiced stammered out before starting to cough.

Naruto turned around to see pale-skinned sickly looking brown haired man who was dressed in more traditional Konoha Shinobi attire but with a weird kind of headband that covered the entire top of his head but had the Hiate-ite in the middle of it.

"I am Gekkō Hayate. By the orders of the Hokage, I am to be your instructor to see if you are worthy of being a Genin," Hayate said before he entered a brief coughing spell.

"A genin…So I still have a chance to become a shinobi?" Naruto asked.

"A sixty-Six percent chance," Hayate replied through his coughing.

Once the coughing fit ended, Hayate took a breath and said "Originally, the Hokage wasn't going to test you but thanks to Anko-san, he changed his mind and asked me to do your test and that is what led you here."

"Alright, so hug Anko really hard, got it," Naruto said with a grin on his face.

"And this is where your test will take place. This…Is the Forest of Death. There are things in here that will try to kill you. They may be small like a bee or as large as a tiger, maybe even larger. I've also placed different traps inside the entire forest to make things more fun. It varies from poison to explosives. You have three days to hunt me down and to retrieve this..."

Hayate then took a scroll and held it out in front of him. "If you are able to take this from me, you pass the test and will become a Genin for Konohagakure no Sato. Is that all understood?" Hayate asked before coughing again.

"And if I fail?" Naruto asked.

"As I said….This test has a sixty-six percent fail rate. Per orders of the Hokage, this is your final chance to become a shinobi. If you fail against me, you will never be able to become a shinobi again," Hayate said.

Naruto suddenly felt his stomach drop.

If he failed this test, he wouldn't even return to the academy, he would just be done as a shinobi for good.

He lost Iruka just trying to become a Genin. There is no chance he would lose this chance to actually become one.

He couldn't fail now after he lost so damn much.

"Iruka-nii died because I wanted more than anything to become a Genin…" Naruto said with a serious expression on his face. "And now that I have a chance to become one, I don't care what sick test you put me through. I will pass it, no matter what the cost! Not just for my sake, but for Iruka-nii's as well!" Naruto yelled in declaration before pointing at the shinobi.

Hayate smirked at his fellow Jōnin then at the kid before coughing slightly and said "Good, Naruto. Let's hope you can keep your word," before he formed a few seals and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

"I survived the otherworld, I can survive a forest," Naruto told himself with a determined grin as he began to set out. He only had three days to do pass this test and Hayate's test as well so he had to get a head start.

He started to run as fast as he could only to step on a trip wire. When the trip wire was pulled, two huge, spiked logs began to swing down towards the blond at a fast pace.

Naruto saw the large logs and quickly rolled out of the way to dodge the logs only to nearly fall into a pit filled with poisonous snakes.

Naruto stood up and jumped over the pit, nearly falling inside of it but he managed to get himself up on the ground and seconds after he did, the two logs collided where he was standing a few moments earlier.

"Holy shit..." Naruto frowned as he said this.

Hayate did warn him of all these traps but he figured they were all on the ground so that means that he would have to travel by treetop.

Naruto climbed up the tree and when he reached the top, he only gasped in shock then glared in anger.

All along the tree branches were shurikens embedded in them and if that wasn't enough, he saw some odd but faint purple stuff on it which he knew had to be some type of poison.

Why did he think that was poison on those embedded Shuriken? Because he did not put it past Hayate at this point.

Naruto climbed back down towards the ground and when he landed, he landed on another trip wire.

Naruto then knew he as he dodged multiple man-made spears that shot from under the tree's branches that he had a long three days ahead of him.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato  
Forest of Death – Day Two  
Uzumaki Naruto **

Naruto sprang up from the river and shouted with joy.

After hours of trying and trying with no avail, he had finally caught two trout in the river in the forest.

He made his way back onto land and grabbed a medium length stick and impaled the two trout with it then put it over a burning tree that was caught in one of Anko's explosive traps.

He sat down on the log in front of it and waited for his fish to finish cooking; turning it around every few minutes to make sure it was done thoroughly.

Naruto had made a lot of progress since he began a day ago.

He managed to avoid being burned, skewered, drowned and poisoned and at one point, one of those traps that had been set out really was going to do all those things to him had he not made it out.

He once read "Always go straight" on a fortune cookie once and despite not understanding or reading the rest of it, he decided to keep going straight because it'll lead him out of this damned place.

Naruto's ears perked up when he heard a twig snapping in a bush near his orange jacket.

Naruto turned around and began to pull off of his back and slowly walked to the bush only to see a small wounded kit limping out of the bush at a quick pace.

"Oh no…" Naruto said as he walked towards the small orange-red furred kit. What Naruto had failed to notice was a large tiger coming his way and when he did notice, it was already too late.

The tiger lunged at the blond but luckily, Naruto was able to block the clawed hand of the tiger with a kunai but in the process of blocking it, he fell to the ground while trying to keep the raging tiger from trying to maul him.

Naruto and the tiger growled at each other before Naruto placed both of his feet on the tiger's stomach and used all of his strength to push it off of him.

The tiger flew back and landed on its side before getting back up; baring its fangs at Naruto who was at that point looking down at his black shirt and frowned when he noticed the tiger had clawed through it.

Luckily, the wound the tiger gave Naruto was already healing to his surprise but the pain remained for a long time before fading away, telling him that he could heal quickly but the pain from the wound would linger on.

"Well, that was a good hit…But I'm not finished just yet," Naruto told the beast with a grin as he and the tiger circled each other.

Naruto pulled out his other kunai and twirled them both once while the tiger bared its fangs once more before they lunged at each other.

The fight between the human and animal was fierce with Naruto taking multiple deep scratches to his side, shoulder and his inner left thigh but while he could heal, the tiger could not which was slowing down the animal's speed.

After keeping up the intense duel for ten minutes, the large tiger decided in a last ditch effort to tackle Naruto but slide under its lunging form and turned around and stabbed his weapon for-ward, stabbing the tiger straight through its head, instantly ending the battle.

Pulling out his kunai, Naruto fell to his knees victoriously, dropping them to the ground only to fall forwards to pant heavily but as he did this, his eyes caught the small kit hobbling to him.

The kit sat down beside his head and whined before he licked his cheek.

Naruto smiled and raised his hand and petted the kit's head and said "You're welcome little guy…"

The kit yipped and plopped down on its side, which allowed Naruto to pet his stomach softly. Naruto could feel the relief and happiness from the small kitsune, which was very strange to Naruto.

Could it be that the Kyūbi no Kitsune within him was allowing him to feel what this little Kitsune felt?

Naruto shrugged at this and mumbled "I've been through stranger things," before he noticed the feeling of hunger from the small kit.

"Sit tight you; I'll get you some food." Naruto then rose up from the ground and took walked towards where his fish were and pulled one off of the medium length stick and walked to the kit and mushed it enough for the kit to eat.

As the kit ate, Naruto pulled out some medical wrap and wrapped it around the kit's wounded leg as quickly as possible as he mumbled "This way, you can heal and be strong enough to walk around…"

Naruto then stood up and made his way to his own fish and downed it before he walked back to the kit and knelt down in front of it to pet the top of his head and said "You take it easy."

Naruto then stood and began to walk past but he felt something tugging at his leg. When he looked down, he saw the kit with a bit of his pant leg in his mouth. "What's up little one?" Naruto questioned.

The kit whined and released the pant leg.

Naruto could feel sadness and fear coming from the little animal and said "You don't like to be by yourself…" Naruto nodded in understanding before he lifted the kit up and said "Very well, you're coming with me then."

The kit yipped happily and licked Naruto's cheek, which made him laugh.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato  
Forest of Death – Day Three  
Uzumaki Naruto **

Naruto and his new partner spent pretty much remainder of the second day escaping traps and making their way out of the now appropriately named "Forest of Death" and Naruto was exhausted.

He looked like he had been in a battle with the Kyūbi and lost.

His black shirt was long gone, leaving his slightly scarred chest bare, he was missing his blue sandals and the left pant leg of his orange pants were ripped up from the knee down while his right pants leg had multiple rips and tears in it.

His jacket was wrapped around his waist in order to keep the small kit in it and his kunai were still strapped on his back. During the second day, Naruto had managed to find clues of where Hayate was located and after following them for a day and a half, Naruto found himself in the middle of a random opening.

"He should be here," Naruto growled out tiredly. After a few minutes of checking around for the man, Naruto removed the small kit from out of his jacket and fell to the ground with a 'thud'.

He hadn't had a wink of sleep in two days now and it was taking its toll.

The kit yelped and stood up on its hind legs and laid its paws on Naruto head. Naruto could feel the feeling of fear coming off of the Kit but was just too tired to comfort it...Until it bit Naruto's ear.

Naruto leaned up and held his ear, a tear in his eyes, "Jeez, Iru that really hurt!" Naruto yelled while he gave the kit he now called Iruka or Iru for short a look of pain.

The kit didn't have a name and Naruto felt that Iruka would be a perfect name for him, in honor of his departed sensei and luckily for him, the kit liked it just as much as he did.

Naruto felt Iru becoming sad and quickly tried to cheer the small kit up by petting the little one softly and smiled when he felt the warmth of comfort flow over the fox but then, he heard a noise in the trees.

Naruto instructed Iru to wait in the bushes while he pulled out a pair of kunai.

"Jeez Naruto, don't you look like hell" a voice wheezed out as Naruto turned around to see Hayate standing there before beginning to hack and cough loudly, making Naruto start to gag lightly.

"Well, you found me and we are in the third day," Hayate said with a small cough.

Naruto watched as he placed the scroll on his belt and said "So my goal is to take the scroll from you right?" Naruto asked, just to go over the requirements to passing Hayate's test. Hayate shook his head before pointing his sword at Naruto, coughing slightly.

"Your goal is too not only take this scroll from me but to draw blood from me as well, by any means necessary. If you can do those two things, you pass but if I draw blood from you and you have the scroll, you will fail. If you drew blood from me but you didn't take the scroll, you fail and I don't need to say what happens if you don't take the scroll or draw blood. Do you understand those terms?" Hayate asked before Naruto nodded without a second thought.

Hayate then took out a timer and set it too sixty minutes. "You have one hour to do both of these things, understood?" Hayate asked again before Naruto nodded again.

He just hoped Iru didn't come out of those bushes until after all of this is over.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato  
Forest of Death – Day Three  
Uzumaki Naruto Vs Gekkō Hayate **

Hayate jumped and landed soundlessly on the ground before stepping into a kenjutsu stance. Naruto smirked as he twirled his kunai once while he circled his sensei, thinking that this would be easy.

All he had to do was strike when his sensei began to cough.

Naruto had the plan all worked out until his sensei put his katana down and popped a pill in his mouth.

"What is that?" Naruto asked before Hayate suddenly began to hack violently.

The Shinobi fell on his knees and began to cough more violently before looking up at Naruto. "I-I'll be fine Naruto, This is just to make sure my coughing doesn't get in the way of this test," Hayate rasped out before continuing to cough.

Naruto suddenly felt nervous as Hayate's coughing and hacking began to slowly when Hayate stood up, everything about him changed.

No longer did he have those bags under his eyes or did he no longer cough. His eyes were like a viper ready to strike without second thought. Naruto suddenly knew this was going to be a lot harder than he expected.

Naruto thought he would be able to catch him while he was coughing but now that Hayate took that pill, he looked stronger than ever.

Naruto had to decide what he should go for first.

Blood or the scroll?

Naruto figured that making his instructor draw blood would be easier than capturing the scroll so he decided to go after the hardest thing first. But before he could spring into action, Hayate spoke.

"Before we start, I must tell you something," Hayate said before Naruto stared at him, ready to attack at any second. "I will not hold back Naruto so come at me with the intent to kill," Hayate finished, his voice clearer since taking that pill.

Naruto nodded and replied "Then let's not waste time. Kioigan: Awaken!" Naruto shouted, his vibrant blue eyes becoming dull.

 _'Kioigan?_ ' Hayate questioned just as Naruto charged at the man, throwing one of his kunai at him before jumping in the air and slashed him at a downward angle.

Hayate deflected the kunai and side stepped Naruto's attack and aimed a kick at the back of his head, only for Naruto to duck under it and attempt to sweep the Jōnin off of his feet.

Hayate back flipped to avoid the attempted sweep and continued to backflip away before landing on his feet, skidding slightly to a stop as he threw three kunai at a rapid pace towards the blond who created a shadow clone who he pulled in front of him to take the hit.

The clone dispersed in a plume of smoke and Naruto saw his chance. Naruto made three shadow clone and henged them into three kunai and ran from behind the dispersed clone's smoke and threw them while he ran towards Hayate, purposely missing his Sensei and began to slash repeatedly at him.

Hayate deflected the attacks before moving to the side fluidly and ducking another one of Naruto's slashes before sweeping his leg under Naruto's, making the boy fall on his back.

Naruto quickly rolled backwards and flipped himself onto his hands before vaulting himself in the air, making three hand seals before shouting "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Thirty shadow clones appeared in the air along Naruto and his clones pulled out there kunai and when the landed on the ground, they army of blonds took off running at Hayate, screaming as they came closer to him.

Hayate was mildly impressed.

Thirty shadow clones was no child's play to pull off but the blond did it and doesn't even look winded in this least.

The leading clone jumped in the air and tried to attack Hayate with its kunai but Hayate moved to the side and quickly dispelled the clone with his katana.

He then twirled his katana and deflected an intended strike of the clone's kunai and took off the bushin's head before grabbing a kunai from out his pouch used it to block a bushin's kunai from cutting him and used his katana to deflect two more clones from striking him.

Hayate quickly used his katana to cut off both of the bushin's heads before he forcefully pushed the clone's kunai out of its hands and into the air before stabbing the clone in its throat with his kunai before quickly pulling it out and throwing it at a running clone, hitting it in its forehead.

Without watching that clone die, Hayate moved to the side to avoid and ducked an oncoming attack only to find himself rolling to the side, nearly being impaled by a kunai.

Hayate continued to roll until he rolled himself onto his knees and used his katana to block four kunai then took out kunai and in one clean swipe, he cut them both in the stomach, dispelling them.

Hayate noticed four clones running up behind him.

He quickly stood up and ran towards them with his katana in his right hand and a kunai in his left.

Hayate jumped over one clone who decided to tackle him and in one motion, he ducked and rolled under a clone, which tried to tackle him, and stabbed two clones in the chest with his katana and his kunai.

Hayate pulled out the katana and the kunai and twirled his body around and decapitated the two clones he had evaded a few moments earlier with his katana.

Hayate then took out an exploding tag and put it on his kunai and threw into one clan that had five clones around him and before they knew it, the tag exploded, killing the clones in one fell swoop and also killing five more clones when a tree that was blown in half from the exploding tag fell on them.

Naruto watched in shock as he watched the jōnin decimated twenty-two of his clones in less than two minutes, with no problem at all but Naruto suddenly remembered something and grinned. He knew how he was going to capture the scroll.

He then ordered the rest of his clones and told them the plan. The duplicates nodded before jumping off the tree and onto the ground, only to stop.

"So...Who's going first?" One of the clones asked as the other seven shrugged their shoulders in unison. "I know I'm not" The clone near the tree said as it crossed his arms like a spoiled brat ignoring his mother because she wouldn't give him any ice cream after dinner.

"Well I saw how all my brothers died out there and I'm not going" The clone crouching on his feet said with a lot of resentment towards Hayate.

The clones suddenly started arguing between themselves about who was going to fight first. Naruto and Hayate couldn't believe what was going on.

What kind of stunt was this?

"Hey! You guys are supposed to be fighting Hayate, not fighting each other!" Naruto yelled only to receive the bird from his ow clones.

Hayate sighed.

He didn't know Naruto long but he knew he was the only one who would argue with himself. Hayate rolled his eyes with a smirk before he charged at the arguing blondes.

"Get on guard!" Naruto shouted before one of the clones was stabbed in the chest by the Jōnin. He then turned his body and grabbed his katana and in one fluid motion, he swings the katana out of the clone and cuts two clone straight through the middle.

"You bastard!" The five exclaimed in unison as they began to use their kunai to slice him in two. Hayate parred their blows and managed to kill two of them before his sword was knocked out of his hands and far behind him.

Hayate scowled and dodged the three bushin's blades while walking backwards, trying to get to his katana.

The clones and the original Naruto smirked.

Hayate couldn't fight without his blade.

Hayate kicked one of the clones and used his chest as a springboard but before he could reach his katana, the "kunai" Naruto had threw earlier exploded into smoke before a clone ran out and jumped in the air before tackling the Jōnin in mid-air, sending the two rolling to the ground.

The two rolled on the ground until the skid to a stop.

The clone noticed the scroll on Hayate's belt and reached for it only to be dispelled by Hayate's kunai in his back.

Hayate stood up shakily before seeing the clones charging at him at a fast pace. Hayate grabbed his katana and parried their blows again but this time, Hayate had more trouble doing so.

 _'The pill's effect is fading faster than I thought'_ Hayate thought to himself calmly as he moved to the side to avoid a fatal hit.

He knew at this point that he had to finish this and fast before he lost.

Hayate ducked under a slash and rolled behind the three clones and slashed upwards, cutting all three of the clones and dispelling them.

Naruto looked at Hayate and grinned when he heard a soft cough escape his throat.

 _'He is growing weaker. I believe it is time to complete our objective'_ Naruto heard Miyuki say in his mind before nodding in agreement.

"Right…" Naruto said softly as he closed his eyes. "It's time to see how strong I truly am," Naruto then opened his eyes and softly whispered. "Gekkō-san, it is time to get very serious. Kioigan: Awaken Miyuki..." Naruto's irises then changed color to icy blue a silver-white snowflake that glowed faintly appeared within them.

Hayate could feel a burst of cold air suddenly envelope the area around him. "When did it get so cold?" He muttered before he looked to Naruto. Through the icy mist, he could see Naruto's eyes glowing behind them until they vanished.

"Where did he g-?" Naruto had suddenly appeared before him and round housed kicked Hayate hard in the face, sending the Jōnin to the ground back first, causing him to skid lightly before coming to a stop. Hayate looked up at the genin in shock as a calm expression was on his face.

Hayate was surprised.

He knew Naruto was fast due to his girlfriend's constant stories of the orange blur running from her and her co-workers but that was an obscene show of speed.

Hayate flipped to his feet and held his katana in front of his body. "You caught me off guard, impressive. But it will not happen again," Hayate said while biting back a cough, still trying to give the illusion that the pill is still in effect.

Naruto nodded almost serenely and replied, "I will be sure to not, Gekkō-san."

Hayate merely smirked at the boy's words. _'This kid may be more challenging than I first expected.'_

The wind blew over the area the two warriors stood in, their gazes locked in an internal battle of who will start this battle off first. "After you, Gekkō-san," Naruto said with gently, a small smile on his face.

 _'It is strange to see how calm he was. Just moments before he had boundless energy. It's as if he changed into another person,'_ Hayate thought to himself.

Hayate dashed forward aimed a round-house kick at Naruto but blond summoned an ice pillar to block the kick.

"W-What the hell? A Hyōton user?" Hayate gasped out.

Naruto turned his head and gave Hayate a calm smile and said "I'm so much more," before he raised his hand, causing the another pillar to shoot past Hayate's extended leg and slam into the man's chin, which sent Hayate flying backwards in the air.

Hayate managed to recover and skidded on the ground on his feet before he gasped in shock as Naruto closed his hand, causing the pillar of ice to shatter into crystals. With a snap of his fingers, the ice shards shot towards Hayate at break neck speeds.

Hayate gripped his hilt and began to swing his sword with precise precision, slicing through each shard that came his way before he leapt into the air and used his chakra to dash towards Naruto. Naruto slammed his foot on the ground and three pillars of ice shot out from the ground at an angle towards Hayate.

Hayate barely managed to block the three pillars with his sword but the impact still sent him flying backwards.

Naruto leapt onto the pillar and dashed up it as he summoned an ice trident in his right hand and with a leap, he twisted his body and launched it towards Hayate, who swung his sword downward and smacked the trident away.

But when Hayate did that, he lifted his head up only to get punched in the face, which sent him soaring down to the ground but again, Hayate managed to recover and landed in a crouched position.

Naruto landed on the ground and swung his ice-made trident at the shinobi but Hayate ducked the oncoming strike from Naruto's weapon then moved to the side before he could be skewered by Naruto's ice-made spear.

 _'Fast!'_ Hayate thought to himself as he continued to block Naruto's advancing shots before being able to hit Naruto with a rib bruising kick, only to see Naruto bend his body sideways to avoid the kick.

Seeing another chance, Hayate shifted his position and kicked Naruto in his stomach, sending the genin flying back and rolling onto the ground.

Naruto quickly got back on his feet and threw a kunai with a smirk on his face as he watched Hayate deflect it into the air.

"It is done, Bushin Bakuha," The Uzumaki shouted before the kunai changed back into Naruto's clone and glowed brightly. Hayate could only make a few seal before the clone exploded above him.

Naruto smirked as the clone went off, knowing Hayate couldn't have been able to dodge it in time but his smirk soon changed into shock as he saw Hayate in a nearly invisible white orb that seem to glow with chakra.

"Gaze up-on my personal Jutsu, Naruto…Tsuki Shi-Rudo (Moon Shield)," Naruto was stunned by this development before he closed his eyes and chuckled before he held out his hands and summoned several ice pillars to soar towards Hayate.

Hayate smirked before he spun out of his orb and shouted "Tsuki Shi-Rudo: Fumikiru! (Moon shield: Take off!)" Hayate then hit his katana on the shield and sent it flying towards Naruto's pillars.

The pillars crumbled against the might of the powerful jutsu and continued to fly towards Naruto but the blond moved to the side at the very last second and dodged the orb only for it to bounce off of a tree and head back towards Naruto.

Naruto turned his and looked surprised and just as the orb was going to hit him, Hayate shouted "Tsuki Shi-Rudo:Kiraika(Moon shield: Detonate)!" The orb suddenly exploded in a flash of light, blinding the Kenjutsu user and bathed the entire area in light.

When the light faded away, Hayate found Naruto unconscious with smoke rising from off of his unconscious body.

Hayate walked slowly towards the unconscious blond but when he got to-wards him, he looked on in shock as he watched Naruto began to rise shakily from the ground. A soft laughter escaped the blond genin as he stared at the sky, confusing Hayate immensely.

"Looks like you lost your scroll," Naruto's dual voice announced with an arrogant tone in his voice as Hayate looked at him with a confused look in his eyes but then he looked down at his waist and still noticed his scroll was missing from his belt.

Naruto grinned softly before he was dispelled, leaving a cloud of smoke behind.

Hayate was shocked when he saw Naruto just disappear in a plume of smoke before chuckling to himself.

"Impressive….You switched with a clone at the last second. Interesting…" Hayate said in a slight raspy tone.

"Of course!" Naruto replied calmly. "Now please, let us continue. I must see how strong I've become," Naruto told him as he placed held out his right hand and formed an ice katana, which he wrapped his hand around the hilt and dashed forward.

Naruto swung his blade at Hayate when he got close enough but Hayate quickly blocked the katana with his own, nearly being pushed back.

Hayate was able to push Naruto back only to quickly go on the defensive as Naruto closed the distance and began relentlessly attacking him and much to Hayate's shock, he had trouble blocking a few of them.

 _'Interesting, he's abilities are similar to the Nidaime bloodline!'_ Hayate thought as moved to the side to avoid a strike but ducked to avoid a strike from behind him.

He then twisted his body in an angle, allowing Naruto fly over him before rolling on the ground and jumped back to his feet, blocking the swing of the blond's ice katana.

Hayate swept his feet under the blond's feet, effectively tripping him onto the ground but the original rolled out of the way to avoid the stab of his katana.

Naruto flipped back on his feet only to bend backwards to avoid Hayate's Katana cutting him in two.

Hayate quickly spun around and axed kicked Naruto in his chest, sending Naruto back onto the ground.

Naruto quickly rolled to the side and continued rolling until he rolled himself back onto his feet and deflected two kunai with his katana only to duck the swipe of Hayate's blade and counter but slashing his blade up but growled in annoyance when Hayate used a kunai to block it.

Naruto and his sensei eyes caught each other's for a split moment before Naruto swept Hayate off of his feet and leapt up into the air and pointed his katana down towards Hayate, who quickly switched himself with a chuck of wood just as Naruto's blade pierced then split it in half.

Naruto's yanked his blade free and twirled it around in his hand while standing up. "Please surrender. I do not wish to wound you, Gekkō-san."

Just then, Hayate's figured flickered in front of Naruto with his katana held high in the air, making Naruto raise his to defend with his sword but then Hayate flickered out again only to appear fully behind him, preparing to ream him through.

Turning around as quickly as possible, Naruto blocked the strike with his sword and rammed his fist against Hayate's face, sending the Jōnin stumbling backwards where used the sword to make an ice pillar, which slammed into Hayate's stomach and sent him backwards towards several trees but Hayate changed into a wooden block.

Naruto quickly summoned an ice shield and blocked a strike of Hayate's sword. A staring contest ensued between the two combatants but Naruto caused an ice made fist to slam against Hayate's face, which made the Hayate stumble backwards but he pulled out several kunai and threw them towards Naruto.

Naruto used his ice shield to deflect them all but then he created ten clones and ordered them to attack, which made them charged towards the Jōnin at high speed but as they charged the first ten threw down smoke bombs towards Hayate to hinder his vision.

As the cloud of black smoke billowed around the shinobi, Naruto summoned three more clones and have them hide as discarded kunai behind him near a tree.

Once the smoke cleared around Hayate, the shinobi saw as ten clones charging towards him, all of them wearing a frozen look of serene peace on their faces, despite the fact they had several ice made weapons in their hands.

Hayate placed his katana at his side and dug his feet into the ground and narrowed his eyes and muttered "Well then Naruto…You forced my hand…." Hayate let a small smirk on his face as his katana began to glow a bright white while the area around him faded into a deep black simultaneously. "Mikadzuki Yaiba (Crescent moon blade)…"

With those words, Hayate gripped his hilt tightly before swing his blade in an arch, making a bright, silvery white wave of chakra towards Naruto and his clones, who were not expecting it, and was quickly dispelled the ten of them.

Seeing this attack coming, Naruto summoned an ice wall to block it but to his surprise, the attack destroyed the ice wall and continued to fly towards him. Naruto quickly summoned an ice shield to block the wave of energy.

He dug his feet into the ground, trying to keep himself grounded but soon, he found his feet skidding across the ground before he found himself soaring high into the air.

Hayate watched as the wave of white chakra flew into the air before it disappeared with a small twinkle of light was seen in the bright blue sky.

Hayate let a grin form on his face for a moment before turning around to block the blade of Naruto's ice spear. "I should have known you would get out of that one, Naruto."

Naruto nodded with a kind smile and broke apart their clash as he murmured "You keep underestimating Gekkō-san. That will lead to your defeat."

With a spin of the ice made spear, Naruto began to thrust it forward rapidly, which caused Hayate to block each lunge with his own katana, matching the frantic pace.

Faking a downward stab, Naruto stepped on Hayate's foot as hard as he could to distract the Jōnin long enough to ram the end of his spear into Hayate's face and when that proved successful, Naruto then twisted his body and slammed the butt of the spear against Hayate's stomach and made it extend, which caused Hayate to fly backwards into a tree.

Naruto dismissed the ice spear and summoned three clones and said "Go."

The three clones charged towards Hayate, who looked up and quickly made a few signs and said "Tsuki Shi-Ru-" Without warning, the discarded kunai around Hayate exploded into ice, which crossed in front of Hayate's body, pinning him to a tree while the third trapped his left arm.

Naruto saw that the clones were closer to Hayate than they were to him so with another few hand seals, Naruto snapped his fingers and said "Bushin Bakuha…" as he summoned an ice wall to shield him.

Seeing the clones begin to glow brightly, Hayate's eyes widened in horror as he summoned as much chakra as he could in his free right arm and made his moon shield before he smacked it forward with a shout of "Tsuki Shi-Rudo: Kiraika!"

The minute the two techniques collided, a large explosion rocked the area, causing the entire forest to shake. When the smoke cleared, there was a gigantic crater between Hayate and the ice wall that had shielded Naruto from the blast.

The ice wall melted away to reveal Naruto, looking no worse for wear as he gazed upon the crater and gave a small chuckle as he made a trail of ice to walk across crater until he was on the other side.

He walked towards the dozens of downed tree and saw Hayate's arm sticking out of the rubble of wooden remains of several trees. Summoning two clones, the pair dug up Hayate's form and as well as his katana and held him up.

Naruto grabbed the katana and held it to Hayate's cheek.

Hayate's eyes fluttered open to reveal Naruto before him with his own katana and chuckled mirthlessly. "You are a tough challenge…To be able to out battle me."

"Before you took that pill, I thought I had this in the bag. I thought it would be so simply to defeat you because all you had to do to lose was cough and I would've been able to capitalize on that but after you took that pill, I was quickly at a disadvantage and I had to change that by revealing one of my trump cards earlier," Naruto admitted humbly.

"But…I have to be strong to keep my promises and battling you told me exactly how strong I have become…So thank you, Gekkō-san…" Naruto said as he cut a small wound on the man's cheek, just enough to draw blood, just as the alarm he set began to ring.

Hayate already knew about Naruto's unpredictability but to use that during battle and just on the fly was simply amazing to the Jōnin.

At that moment, Hayate could tell that this kid was going to be one amazing Shinobi.

"Uzumaki Naruto, You have officially passed the test. You are hereby an official Genin of Konohagakure no Sato," Hayate said with shut eyes and a smile on his face.

Naruto smiled thankfully and gave respectful bow and said "Thank you, Gekkō-san."

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Hokage Tower  
Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen**

Sarutobi's eyes were filled in shock as he looked at the crystal ball, his skin as pale as snow.

That just couldn't be possible.

Before, Naruto couldn't even form a basic clone but now, he had defeated one of his skilled Kenjutsu Jōnin in a hard fought battle.

There was no doubt about it now.

He had the bloodline his mother had.

He had to do something about this…

* * *

Naruto (Hellfire): And that is the end of the chapter and that Kate, is how I achieved my powers…

Kate: *eyes wide, unable to speak*

Naruto (Reaper): *walks into the room with only his boxers* Hey guys…

Naruto (Hellfire): About time. You missed your update.

Naruto (Reaper): Sorry Hellfire-nii. I was…*blushes* busy

Victoria: *Peeks out of bedroom wearing Naruto's orange jacket* Reaper-kun, I'm getting cold without you. Come back to bed *drowsy*

Naruto (Reaper): Alright. See you guys later *goes back into room*

Kate: *Blushes heavily* Oh my. At least he was able to complete a few things.

Naruto (Hellfire): Yeah…But I wonder what will happen next to my baby brother. Until the next chapter I suppose. Now come Kate. Let's go to my universe to prepare for my chapter.


	20. Chapter 19

Naruto (Dragoon): *looking at Hellfire* It's like he's traumatized. This Shao Kahn must truly be a menace.

Naruto (Reaper): Even his henchman managed to take out Tayuya and Samui in the first go. Tayuya got off lucky but we don't know about Samui. I have a feeling more people are going to die before its all said and done…

Kate: *sitting beside Hellfire with sad eyes*

Naruto (Reaper): and she hasn't left his side. Dedication…

Naruto (Dragoon): Let's start your chapter brother then we can worry about Hellfire later.

* * *

 **Reaper's Blood: Final Mix  
Chapter Nineteen**

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Hokage Tower  
Uzumaki Naruto**

"Congratulations Uzumaki Naruto for successfully completing your test to become a shinobi…You are now seen as a Genin of Konohagakure no Sato. May you serve with pride."

Naruto stood in front of the Hokage with a small grin on his face, with Hayate standing behind him. The minute he had passed the test, Hayate had taken him back to the tower with the small kit that Naruto had rescued from the tiger in his arms.

Naruto was glad that he managed to become a shinobi but his anger at the man he saw as his grandfather was overwhelming. He had been able to hold it in during their first meeting but now that he was in front of him, it was starting to build up.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Naruto said, forcing the venom out of his response.

"With Anko-san still out on her mission until next week, I will have Hayate as your temporary sensei until she returns and not only that, I am giving you your very first mission with him."

"A mission? So soon?" Hayate asked.

"Yes. You two are to accompany Team Gai protect Yukie Fujikaze during the production of her latest film," The Hokage explained.

"Who are after her?" Hayate questioned.

"That we do not know but whoever it is, we must keep her protected at all costs," The Hokage replied.

"Where is she now?" Naruto asked.

"She is actually within the village now. She's keeping a low profile however so she doesn't want to be bothered," The Hokage said. "She will meet with you and Team Gai tomorrow morning."

"Is that all then?" Naruto asked.

"There is one pressing matter," The Hokage replied before he glanced at the sleeping kit in Naruto's arms. "The kit in your arms…You know how the village feels about Foxes, Naruto."

"Yeah, too bad for them," Naruto instantly responded, which made the Hokage frown. "This little kit was going to die against the really out of place tiger in the forest. He has no one but me. I'm ready and willing to protect him through any harm that comes to him. If the villagers don't like it, they can bite me."

"Naruto…" The Hokage said with a warning tone.

"You don't know my parents, you let the villager's bully me and my apartment would be a shithole had Iruka-sensei and I not have fixed it up. The least you can do is let me keep him," Naruto said with narrowed eyes. "Unless you want for us to argue today, I suggest you let me keep him."

The Hokage and Naruto stared at each other before the elder sighed and said "Very well but whatever happens will be upon you. No one else."

"I can accept that," Naruto replied. "Anything else?"

The Hokage reached into his desk and pulled out a Hiate-Ite and said "In his will, Iruka gifted you his headband. I figured you would want to have it as your headband as well." The Hokage then tossed the Hiate-ite to Naruto, who caught it with his other hand and looked down at it with fondness.

It even had the small "N" in the corner that he had etched into it when he first took it from Iruka… "Thank you Hokage-sama," Naruto said genuinely before he turned around and waved to his superiors with a "See ya later!"

 _"You showed some restraint in yelling at him but I have a feeling you're going to blow up at him sooner rather than later,"_ Miyuki said.

 _'I know but the sooner I can stave it off the better. Besides, at least he honored Iruka-sensei's will and gave me his Hiate-Ite …In the meantime, I have a free day. Up for some training?'_ Naruto asked.

 _"You went through a lot in that last battle and I'm not quite replenished yet to continue. Let's just have you relax before we go on this mission. Besides, I'm sure we'll have many chances to train during it,"_ Miyuki replied.

 _'Damn…Since Hinata-chan is still training for her mission, I can't visit her either…'_ Naruto said with a grumble.

 _"Why not talk to Ino? She was very genuine when she told you all that she had been through while pretending to be you,"_ Miyuki suggested, which caused Naruto to pause mid-step.

Miyuki did have a very good point.

He did promise to be friends with Ino after her brazen attempt at taking his identity and since she made the first step, he might as well make the second one.

 _'Good idea sensei! Let's go see Ino-san!"_ Naruto replied before he made his way to the flower shop that he knew she would be.

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Yamanaka Flower Shop  
Uzumaki Naruto**

When Naruto walked into the shop, he noticed that Ino was behind the counter reading a magazine and didn't even bother to look up from it when the door rang. "Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop," Ino said with a bored tone.

"Hey Ino-san," Naruto said with a wave.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" Ino exclaimed, the magazine laid forgotten as she looked at Naruto excitedly. "You were gone for a good whi-" It was then Ino noticed the small sleeping kit in Naruto's arms and let out a small squeal of excitement.

She quickly ran over to Naruto and scooped the small kit out of his arms and held it in hers, which caused the small kit to yip sleepily before it snuggled into her arms to sleep again.

"Awww! That little fox is so adorable! Does it have a name? What gender is it?" Ino asked him.

"A name?" Naruto asked before he glanced at the small fox and suddenly, a sad smile appeared on his face. "Iruki…That's his name…After Iruka-nii."

Ino looked to Naruto and frowned as well. "That's a wonderful name. I'm sure Iruka-sensei would love to have met him."

"I'd like to think so," Naruto replied before shaking away the brief melancholy and said "So, notice anything different about me?"

Ino stared at him long and hard before she said "You look more beat-up than usual."

"Oh jeez, I didn't it on yet," Naruto said before he pulled out his Hiate-Ite and wrapped it around his forehead then tied it with a grin.

"You're a shinobi!" Ino exclaimed. "Congratulations Naruto-kun!"

"Thanks. That's why I was gone for the last few days. Gaining this bad boy," Naruto replied as he thumbed the Hiate-Ite. "It sucks though because I have mission tomorrow."

"Really? So soon?" Ino asked.

"Yeah. I'm supposed to protect Yukie Fujikaze with Team Gai," Naruto said.

Ino gasped. "Yukie Fujikaze?! Y-You're guarding her?!"

"Yeah," Naruto said with a confused tone. "I know she's an actress but I've never really heard of her before…."

"Never heard of…You've never heard of Fūun-hime?! Have you been living under a rock?!" Ino exclaimed.

"I'm not big into movies," Naruto responded defensively. "Video games are more my thing."

"Well now that won't do. I'm coming over to your place tonight with my videos of so we can go through all her movies so by your mission tomorrow, you'll be super star-struck!" Ino exclaimed before she gave him a rather happy smile, which made Naruto blink in surprise.

He's seen Ino's nosy face, her cocky face and her grinning face but this was the first time he really saw her smile and it made his heart skip a beat. "W-Well…Sure," Naruto said, his face heating up slightly before he added "I'd like that. I'll even make sure I have some good food waiting for your arrival."

"Heh, score one for me," Ino said before her face suddenly turned bright red. "I'll see you tonight."

"I'll see you tonight," Naruto replied before he looked to the kit and said "I also need to get little Iruki back."

Ino looked down at the kit in her arms and from the look on her face, Naruto saw how reluctant she was to return Iruki so with a laugh, he said "Bring him back with you." Naruto then smiled as he walked towards the door

"Wait a second!" Ino suddenly shouted.

Naruto looked at her and asked "What's up?"

Ino looked at the blond in front of her and with a small smile, she said "Thanks for taking up my offer Naruto. I appreciate it."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck with a small blush on his face. "Ah, it's no problem Ino. Besides, we're friends."

Ino beamed at him before she wrapped him up in a hug before she walked back to her counter, her face slightly red, similar to Naruto's own face. "See you later," Naruto said.

Ino giggled and said "Until tonight!"

"What's going on for tonight?" Inoichi's voice rang out from the stairs beside the counter.

"I'm staying over Naruto-kun's place so we can watch the Fūun-hime movie trilogy," Ino explained with a tiny blush. He's going to be on a mission with her and he has no idea who she is so I gotta turn him to my religion."

Inoichi looked at her with an unsure expression on his face before he noticed the pleading look on his daughter's face. "Awww, how could I say no to that face?" Inoichi said, which made Ino smile happily.

"I was coming down to let you know that you can close up show early to-" Inoichi barely got the words out when Ino cheered happily.

"Yes! Thank you daddy!" Ino shouted as she carefully scooped up Iruki and said "I'll be back to grab my stuff but I'm hanging out with Naruto-kun for the rest of the day!"

"Have fun sweetie," Inoichi said before Naruto heard Inoichi's voice in his head. _"If you do anything perverted with my daughter, I will know…"_

 _"No worries about that Inoichi-san,"_ Naruto replied with a small grin.

Inoichi smiled and gave a nod as Ino bumped her hip against Naruto's and said "Come on Naruto-kun. Let's head to my place so we can grab my stuff."

But as the pair walked outside, the two heard a shout of "Naruto!" coming from their left. Naruto and Ino turned their heads to see Sasuke coming towards him with something in his hand.

"Yo Sasuke, what's up?" Naruto asked before he took the frantic look on Sasuke's face into account and said "You look frantic as all hell."

"Is everything ok Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked curiously.

Sasuke looked at Ino and then Naruto with a confused look before he shook his head quickly and said to Naruto "I found the journal. I had to dig deep for it but I found it but…There is some shit in here that I don't think anyone should know."

Naruto and Ino looked to each other with a frown before Naruto looked to Sasuke and said "I was just about to go home and prepare for a visit but we can hash this out there. Follow me."

* * *

 **Konohagakure no Sato – Naruto's residence  
Uzumaki Naruto**

Five minutes after the two walked into Naruto's home, Naruto waited until Ino shut the door behind her before he asked "So what's got you so amped up man?"

"So a lot of shit is in this journal that I cannot begin to explain," Sasuke said as he paced Naruto's living room.

"So why come to me then? Wouldn't your sensei be a better bet?" Naruto asked.

"No, I can't trust anyone in the village right...Not with this and by the time I tell you what I found, I doubt you could either," Sasuke responded.

Now Naruto was nervous.

In the many years he knew him, Sasuke had never lost his composure before so to see him so frazzled out of his mind, made Naruto fear what as in that small, unassuming notebook. "Well sit down man."

"Is whatever in that journal that serious, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked.

"More than anyone would ever know," Sasuke said before he looked to Naruto and asked "Do you trust her to be here? This is some serious shit."

"I do," Naruto said. "If it was my choice, I'd have Hinata-chan here as well."

Sasuke looked a bit unsure but he nodded and said "Alright…Well, after you left, I went digging around for the journal and this morning, I found it after going under my mother's bed..."

"What was in it that made you so frazzled?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at the two with a grave look as he said "My clan was going to perform a coup on Konoha…"

* * *

Naruto (Reaper): Holy shit!

Naruto (Dragoon): Holy shit! Is he serious?!

Naruto (Reaper): He's not the type to joke around so this is serious…But how serious…I guess we gotta wait to find out…


End file.
